Museu Picasso, Plaque

 

Directional sign of Museu Picasso

The original idea for the museum came from Picasso's lifelong friend and secretary, Jaume Sabartés, whom Picasso had given many paintings, drawings, and prints since meeting in 1899. Originally, Sabartés intended to found the museum in Málaga, Picasso's birthplace. It was Picasso himself who suggested that Barcelona would be more appropriate, given his long-standing connections with the city.[citation needed]

On 27 July 1960, Sabartés signed an agreement with the city of Barcelona to found the museum. The museum opened in 1963, with the collection established through Sabartés' donation of 574 works from his personal collection. Other items included works that Picasso had given to the city of Barcelona, such as Harlequin, works previously in the possession of the city's museum of modern art, and other gifts from Picasso's friends and collectors.[1] The museum opened under the name of the Sabartés Collection, because of Picasso's strong opposition to Franco's regime. In the end, Barcelona mayor Josep Porcioles went against the wishes of the central government in order to open the museum.[2] When it opened, the museum was located in Palau Aguilar on Montcada Street. In this era, the collection consisted mainly of the personal collection Sabartés, some lithographs, and posters. Other donations during the museum's first year included a book of engravings made by Picasso of Ovid's Metamorphoses, donated by Salvador Dalí, as well as a collage given by Gala Dalí, titled No, 1913. In subsequent years, the collection was expanded with donations, including 7-drawings dated between 1899 and 1904 given by Junyer Sebastian Vidal.

After Sabartés' death in 1968, in 1970 Picasso made his last personal donation to the museum. The donation was made up of 920 varied works, including items from his early work that his family had been keeping for him ever since the time he first settled in France. These included school books, academic pieces and paintings from Picasso's Blue Period. Sabartés himself bequeathed a number of works upon his death, including a series of 58 paintings on Las Meninas. In December 1970, the museum underwent its first expansion, adding the Palau del Baró de Castellet, which is attached to the original museum building, Palau Aguilar.

As years passed, the museum grew in importance as more substantial donations were made. During the early 1980s the collection was expanded with several donations from individuals and various art galleries, as well as through acquisitions. In 1982, Picasso's widow Jacqueline Roque gave 41 pieces to the museum. (In 1983), the Louise Leiris Gallery made a donation of 117 engravings. Some notable donations include those from Carles Domingo and the Editorial Gustavo Gili, among others.[3] In 1985, the museum's physical space expanded again with the addition of Palau Meca.

During the 1990s donations included (women bust or Man sitting). The museum also acquired works such as Portrait of Jacqueline with tape, among others. In the late 1990s the museum expanded yet again with the acquisition of Casa Mauri and Palau Windows, both on the same street and adjacent to the museum. Opened in 1999, this new extension added 3,400 square meters to the museum, serving as a space for temporary exhibitions, an auditorium, and additional services. The extension was opened with the temporary exhibition Picasso: Interior and Exterior Landscape, with more than 200 works by the artist created between 1917 and 1970.

In 2003, the museum's interior was remodeled and the artworks rearranged. Two years later, The Government of Catalonia declared the institution a museum of national interest.[citation needed]

In 2006, Maite Ocaña, the museum's director since 1983, resigned in order to direct the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Pepe Serra was appointed director of the Picasso in the same year. In 2008, the Museu Picasso rearranged the permanent collection and opened new rooms dedicated to engraving, including one dedicated to Sabartés.[4] Serra has since established a network of organizations associated with Picasso, including the City of Gósol, the Centre Picasso of Horta de Sant Joan and Palau Foundation in Caldes d'Estrac, with the central aim of promoting the position of the artist by the Catalan territory. In 2009, the museum was listed as one of the 40 most visited art museums in the world by The Art Newspaper.[citation needed]

In 2010 the museum began a project to improve its active presence in social networks such as Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook. The museum's efforts resulted in the Museums & the Web 2010 Best of the Web award for social media.[5][6] The museum's social media projects promote participatory discussion around the institution's research and knowledge.

More recently, the museum has built a new building in Sabartés square, behind Montcada Street. This expansion helped alleviate the overcrowding at the entry of the museum.[citation needed] The building was designed by the architect Jordi Garcés, who had completed the previous expansion of the museum.[7]