The collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris was created thanks to two donations, successively granted to the State by the heirs of Pablo Picasso in 1979 then by those of Jacqueline Picasso in 1990. Deployed on the five levels of the Hôtel Salé, the “¡Picasso! Illustrates the continuity and the deep unity of the museum's collection and history.

The Musée national Picasso - Paris keeps a collection covering all the periods of its creation. The personal archives of the artist, then those of the museum, are at the heart of this exhibition project. They resonate with the masterpieces and allow us to read life, the creative process and the dissemination of the master's work in a different way. A large visual collage invites visitors to browse the five levels of the Hôtel Salé starting from the history of the museum (basement), to discover a chronological presentation of major works (ground floor and 1st floor) , then “Pablo Picasso, public figure” (2nd floor), and meet the “intimate Picasso” (3rd floor).

MP © RMN Three figures under a tree

It is a contemporary reading of Picasso's works that alternates between rooms offering a dense display and more intimate sequences. “A mystery emerged for us from his person, at least for us who were not yet familiar with the Spanish soul; the contrast between the painful and dramatic gravity of the new form of his work and the smiling liveliness of the artist, his spirit and his good humor. It is true that, but this we wanted to ignore, in private, he succumbed intermittently to the famous national cockroach and, as befits, with or without reason, although the difficulties of life at the time were often for something " wrote the art critic and friend of artist Maurice Raynal, who was the author in 1922 of the first monograph in French on Picasso.

Intimate Picasso

MP55 © RMN-GP René Gabriel Ojéda

The private mansion which today serves as a setting over 3700 m² after renovation to this exceptional collection of 4755 works and more than 200 archival items was built between 000 and 1656 by the architect Jean Boullier. It was intended for Pierre Aubert, Lord of Fontenay, general farmer of the gabelles, which earned the building the nickname “Hôtel Salé” which has since remained attached to it. It is one of the most emblematic mansions built at the end of the 1660^e century in the Marais, rue de Thorigny. It is one of the few complete sets illustrating the architecture of the Mazarin era. Under the baroque framework of the top floor of this historic building of the museum is exposed an intimate Picasso through the works he collected from his friends Miró, Matisse and Brassaï and an exploration of his love and family life. We meet great masters like Louis Le Nain, Jean Siméon Chardin, Gustave Courbet, testifying to the artist's taste for a certain French tradition. Also presented are examples of unpublished documents, which made up his daily life and which he kept frantically and exhaustively. Even if he was relatively reluctant to appear publicly, Picasso nonetheless took sides and put forward his political positions. According to Pierre Daix, biographer and friend of the artist, who died in 2014 and to whom the exhibition pays homage: "Picasso's communism was a solidarity and a hope". Unpublished documents drawn from the museum's archives, but also exceptional loans allow us to descend on the second floor to better understand Picasso's relationship with politics and the media.

David Raynal

MP79 © RMN-GP Jean Gilles Berizzi

The Picasso museum celebrates its birthday

From October 20, 2015 to March 08, 2016
At the Picasso museum, 5 rue de Thorigny, Paris 3rd
Full price: € 12,50
Reduced price: 11 €

Opening of the boutique bookshop

Since November 04, the Picasso Museum bookshop has been open. This Parisian concept store tells the story of Picasso in his workshop. Simple and timeless objects, with an avant-garde edge, as Picasso liked. On the occasion of the inauguration of the bookshop boutique of the National Picasso Museum, creators will offer their exclusive creations: tableware, jewelry, decoration and design.

Tuesday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 18:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 9 a.m. to 30 p.m.

MP8 © RMN-GP René Gabriel Ojéda

Two exceptional events outside the walls

At the Grand Palais: "Picasso.mania"

October 7, 2015 - February 29, 2016

This exhibition, both chronological and thematic, retraces the fruitful confrontation waged since the 1960s by contemporary artists around Picasso's work. The major stylistic phases and certain masterpieces of Pablo Picasso, such as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Guernica, are brought into line with contemporary creations by Hockney, Johns, Lichtenstein, Kippenberger, Warhol, Basquiat and even Koons.

At MoMA in New York: "Picasso Sculpture"

14 September 2015 - 7 February 2016

The Musée national Picasso-Paris continues its partnership with the MoMA, which began even before the museum opened with a major exhibition in the United States celebrating Picasso's sculpture. Bringing together around 100 sculptures and completed by a selection of works on paper and photographs, this route aims to advance the understanding of what sculpture was for Picasso and to show how he revolutionized history by constantly reinventing it.

Other remarkable collaborations

Les Abattoirs, Toulouse: "Picasso, mythological horizon"

18 September 2015 - 31 January 2016

Bringing together some thirty works by Picasso, mostly produced in the 1920s and 1930s, this exhibition is developed around the masterpiece The remains of the Minotaur in Harlequin costume, gouache produced by Picasso in 1936 and which served as a cardboard for the realization of its famous curtain of July 14. Between Greek, Egyptian and commedia dell'arte mythology, the route features the Picassian universe, a reflection of the artist's freedoms and ambitions.

Louvre Museum, Paris: "Picasso at the Louvre"

October 21, 2015 - March 2016

The Louvre joins forces with the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Musée national Picasso-Paris by exhibiting four works by the master in the French Paintings circuit of the Sully wing, near the old masters he has looked at, such as Le Nain, Chardin or Ingres. The Louvre museum is a fundamental place for understanding the work of Pablo Picasso. He visited it for the first time in 1900 during his trip to Paris for the Universal Exhibition. In 1906, he discovered archaic Iberian sculpture at the Louvre during the exhibition of objects discovered in Osuna and Cerro de los Santos. Twice, the artist exhibits his works there. In 1947 is presented the donation of ten paintings that the artist made to the State, through Jean Cassou. In 1971, thanks to Jean Leymarie, he exhibited around ten paintings in the Grande Galerie.