While I was in Paris I made a trip to the Picasso Museum. I visited years ago when I first moved to Paris. It was closed for years for a renovation and I wanted to visit but the long lines the first week kept me away. I tried again a few months later but upon arriving at 10am found it wouldn’t be open until 11. It now opens at 9:30. So, on a rainy morning I tried again and got in. I’ve read that the setup of the collection is controversial and rather confusing and that there are many small rooms and dead ends with the art rather mixed up. I enjoyed strolling around myself. I especially enjoyed the architecture of the old section. I’m not a huge fan of Picasso. He seems to be a misogynist to be with an obsession with women’s breasts but I have to say that the written explanations on the walls around the museum gave me an appreciation of all he did. His early work before he started taking everything apart and sort of throwing it on canvas is interesting to see. He was very prolific and tried just about every medium available. Interestingly, he applied for French citizenship in 1940 but was turned down because he was a friend of an anarchist. I also read that he and a friend once stole two sculpted heads from the Louvre but returned them when the Mono Lisa was stolen. He lived in France with his Spanish passport for the rest of his life vowing not to return to Spain while Franco was in power.
I saw this on a wall in the Marais near the Picasso Museum. I think it’s of Picasso. He always wore the French blue and white sweater. They are sold in the Museum shop for 80 Euros.
I thought this was so beautiful.
He didn’t do many landscapes. This one caught my eye because it was of a place called Royan which Maurice and I had just visited. He was inspired by Cezanne and they had a personal relationship. There is, in fact, one of Cezanne’s painting from Picasso’s personal collection, there in the museum. I have to say that I much prefer Cezanne.
A video I took of some metal sculptures by Picasso.