Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso in Catalan) is a key point for learning about Pablo Picasso‘s formative years. Opened in 1963, it also reveals his deep relationship with the city of Barcelona, shaped during his youth and adolescence.

The genius of Spain’s most famous artist is revealed through more than 4000 works that make up the permanent collection, mainly from the early period of his life.

The Museu Picasso is located in the heart of the El Born district, along Carrer de Montcada, a small street that crosses Carrer de la Princesa. It can be reached by metro L1 (Arc de Triomf station), L3 (Liceu station) and L4 (Jaume I station), as well as several bus lines that stop at Via Laietana or Calle Princesa.

The collection

Picasso lived important years in Barcelona, those of his apprenticeship. Even later in his life he established and maintained strong ties with the city, and decided to create his museum here. This is why in 1960, following the artist’s expressed wish, his friend and secretary Jaume Sabartès proposed to the Barcelona city council the creation of a museum dedicated to him. Three years later, in 1963, the Museu Picasso became a reality and opened its doors at the Palau Aguilar.

The museum initially comprised Sabartès’ personal collection and Picasso’s works housed within the halls of the Barcelona Museum of Arts, but later expanded thanks to donations from collectors or artists such as Salvador Dali, who donated the illustrated book Les Metamorphoses d’Ovide.

In 1970 the Museu Picasso expanded to the Palau del Barò de Castellet, and in 1982 Jacqueline Roque, the artist’s widow, donated 41 artistic ceramics. In the same year, photographer Roberto Otero donated 80 photographs of Picasso and a graphic collection from the last years of the artist’s life.

Later Jacqueline Roque also donated other works, followed in subsequent years by other patrons, artists and public figures, leading to today’s vast collection. The Museu Picasso also hosts temporary exhibitions and shows, also related to the famous Spanish artist, and events such as guided tours, courses for teachers and workshops for young people and children.

Admission Tickets for the Picasso Museum

It is possible to buy admission to the Picasso Museum directly at the ticket office or online, perhaps by purchasing a cumulative ticket and thus combining the visit with other museums in Barcelona.

On-site ticket sales end before the museum closes, should they sell out. To avoid not being able to enter, we recommend that you buy your ticket in advance.

Ticket + guided tour of the Picasso Museum

To find out all about Picasso and the works in the museum, you can have an expert guide accompany you during your visit. The cost is slightly higher than the entrance ticket, which is of course included, and buying this visit will save you time by avoiding queuing at the ticket office.

Combined tickets

If you want to visit other museums in Barcelona together with the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, we recommend acquistare online l'ArtTicket Barcelona: the savings are considerable compared to taking tickets for individual museums. The museums and galleries included in ArtTicket Barcelona are: the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art), the Picasso Museum, the Antoni Tàpies Foundation, the Joan Miró Foundation, the MNAC (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya) and the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània).

Opening Hours

• Monday: closed
• Tuesday to Sunday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m
• Thursday: 9:00am to 9:30pm

The Museu Picasso is closed on New Year’s Eve, 1st May, 24th June and Christmas and closes at 2pm on Christmas Eve and 31st December.

The Buildings

The Museu Picasso occupies five large buildings along Carrer de Montcada. The original palaces date back to the 13th-15th centuries, and have been renovated and remodelled several times throughout their history, most recently in the 18th century.

The palaces are an excellent example of Catalan civic Gothic style. They share a common structure surrounding a central courtyard with access to the main floor via an external staircase. Here are the five palaces:

• Palau Aguilar: dating from the 13th century and renovated between the 15th and 18th centuries.
• Barò de Castellet: a medieval palace heavily rebuilt in the 18th century.
• Palau Meca: dating from the 13th-14th centuries and renovated in the 18th century.
• Casa Mauri: an 18th century building designed around a courtyard.
• Palau Finestres: dates back to the 13th century, built over the remains of a Roman necropolis, and was renovated in the 15th century and then in the 17th-18th centuries.