Paris MYSTERIOUS : Musee Picasso Museum Paintings and collections

Musee Picasso

Musee Picasso - Address: 5 Rue de Thorigny - Phone: 331.42.71.25.21 - Hours: Oct 1 – Mar 31 - W-M 9:30am – 5:30pm - April 1- Sept 30 - W-M 9:30am - 6pm - Métro : Saint-Paul, Hotel De Ville.

The Hotel Salé, currently the Musée National Picasso, owes its name to the profession of its first owner, Aubert de Fontenay, a salt tax collector who in 1656 bought a piece of land in the Marais du Temple quarter where he built a private mansion.

At the end of the seventeenth century and during the following century, the mansion changed hands, but remained private property. In 1793, it became a national literary repository, harboring the convent libraries seized during the Revolution; then from 1815 to 1829, it became an educational establishment, where Balzac completed his secondary schooling. The Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures later took over the Hotel Premises, for which it underwent significant transformation.

The Musee Picasso celebrates the artwork of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), one of the world’s most prominent artists and master of cubism. Situated in the heart of historic Paris, the Museum is a delightful 17th century hotel/mansion that houses a collection of 251 paintings, 160 sculptures, 16 collages, 29 reliefs, 107 pieces of pottery, 1,500 drawings, 58 notebooks, and the whole of his engraving works. The collections were received by the state in 1975, two years after Picasso’s death, and in addition to Picasso’s works are pieces gathered from the artist’s own personal collection, including works from Braque, Rousseau, Miro and Renoir.

Visitors will find as they tour the museum that the collection is arranged chronologically, beginning with the Self Portrait of 1901 and ending with the Old Man Seated from 1971, so that onlookers can get an idea of the evolution Picasso and his artwork went through from 1894 to 1972. Some of his most famous pieces displayed in the museum include his Demoiselles d"Avignon and his 1917 piece, Olga dans un fauteuil.

The museum also features a specialized bookshop offering a selection of guidebooks and reference books pertaining Picasso, as well as educational publications for children. Behind the museum is a seasonal garden and café where visitors can enjoy snacks, a few drinks and some fresh air as they reflect on the works created by one of the giants of the art world.

COLLECTIONS

The collection was started with the works that the French State received in payment of death duties after Picasso passed away in 1973. Later after the death of his widow, it was bequest with 251 paintings, 160 sculptures, 16 collages, 29 relief paintings, 107 ceramics, 1,500 drawings, 58 notebooks, and his entire engraving works complete with the various stages of each plate and illustration. Over 100,000 archive items, photographs, letters, manuscripts and documents make this the largest and most comprehensive collection of Picasso's life and work in the world.

Early Paintings
The collection is presented in chronological order. It begins on the first floor with Picasso's early paintings he produced during his first stays in Paris, among which are: "Self-Portrait" (1901), a masterpiece of the blue period "Celestina" (1904) and "Self-Portrait" (1906).
Cubism
The Cubist rooms hold paintings such as "Still-Life with Chair-Caning " (1912), collages, assemblages, fragile constructions and the "Head of a Woman" (Fernande), and a powerful bronze sculpture (1909).
Classical
The classical works include the paintings, "Portrait of Olga in an Armchair" (1917), "The Pipes of Pan" (1923) and numerous drawings and projects for sets and costumes used for the Russian ballet.
Surrealist
Surrealist works, such as "The Kiss" (1925) and "The Crucifixion" (1930) are also owned by the museum.
Sculpture
The field of sculpture is dominated by the series, Monumental Heads, executed in Boisgeloup during 1931. The austere still-lifes of the war period, the sculptures and ceramics from his stay at Vallauris at the beginning of the 1950s, are grouped together in the vaulted rooms in the basement.
Last Period
The works of the last period, including "The Seated Old Man" (1970-1971), bring the tour of the museum to an end on the ground floor.
Picasso's Private Collection
Added to this is Picasso's personal art collection which was donated to the Louvre in 1993 comprised of African and Oceanic art, Iberian statuettes, the graphic works of Chardin, Corot, Courbet, Cézanne, Renoir, Braque, Miro, Matisse, Derain, Balthus and le Douanier Rousseau.

10 excellent reasons to discover le Marais in your life