Musée Picasso

Antibes, France

The Musée Picasso, formerly the Château Grimaldi at Antibes, is built upon the foundations of the ancient Greek town of Antipolis. The castle was a residence of the bishops in the Middle Ages (from 442 to 1385). The castle was moved in 1385 to the Monegasque family. In 1608 it became a stronghold of the Grimaldi family and has borne their name ever since. In 1702 it became the town hall of Antibes.

From 1925 the chateau was known as the Grimaldi Museum. In 1946 it was the home for six months of the artist Pablo Picasso. Today the museum is known as the Picasso Museum, the first museum in the world to be dedicated to the artist.

Picasso himself donated works to the museum, most notably his paintings 'The Goat' and 'La Joie de Vivre'. In 1990 Jacqueline Picasso bequested many works by Picasso to the museum. These included 4 paintings, 10 drawings, 2 ceramics and 6 etchings. These are displayed at the Château in addition to the 3 works on paper, 60 etchings and 6 carpets by Pablo Picasso which the museum collected between 1952 and 2001. Today the collection totals 245 works by Picasso.

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Details

Founded: 11th century / 1966 (museum)
Category: Museums in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Barry Epstein (15 months ago)
I'm a curmudgeon - I don't understand or like his abstract art. The museum is a rather sterile environment, a large part of the display is not Picasso and almost all of it appeared to me to be oversized refrigerator art. Go if you want to or your wife forces you, there are places to sit down.
Mike (16 months ago)
If you like Picasso, you'll love it. If you don't, you are about to experience a revelation! Outstanding.
Natalia C. (16 months ago)
Amazing, the museum is small. You can take around 1h and a half to visit all but if you really want to appreciate every detail you should take more. It's really interesting and you can even see Picasso's sketches. For me, that's quite nice.
Naja (2 years ago)
I think the museum could have done a better job of explaining which parts are dedicated to Picasso and which are showcasing other artists since hwne you first walk in it is NOT Picasso 's work that is displayed. That aside, what a wonderful experience to see dedicated works by the great. I still recommend a visit!
G Kuhnsman (2 years ago)
We had a wonderful visit at the Musée Picasso. It is mind boggling how many original Picasso works are on display in this one location. It may not see that big upon entry, but it is cavernous with many viewing rooms and a beautiful outdoor terrace. The works are accompanied with descriptions and stories published in both French and English which was very nice as you gained a deeper appreciation of the piece after reading more about how it came to be.
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