WHERE ARCHITECTURE MEETS ART

Picasso Museum, Malaga

The Museo Picasso Málaga collection covers almost 80 years of Pablo Picasso’s work and conveys the rigour and creative ability of an artist who is essential to understanding the history of Western art. With this selection of works which provides a look at the diverse themes and techniques that Pablo Picasso mastered. From his beginnings to his later years, the ensemble enables us to understand the crucial importance of his legacy in the history of art.

By periodically refreshing, and thus revising, its permanent collection, Museo Picasso Málaga is in a way following in the footsteps of Picasso himself, who innovated constantly with his art throughout his life. With its thematic and chronological layout, this exhibition narrative in the Palacio de Buenavista will enable visitors to acquire a deeper knowledge of Pablo Picasso’s artistic career by grouping his works together in a way that helps them to understand his artistic processes. 

The Palacio de Buenavista which houses the Collection of Museo Picasso Málaga is located in the heart of the old city, and the building is a magnificent example of 16th-century Andalusian architecture with its characteristic mixture of Renaissance and Mudéjar elements.

It was built for Diego de Cazalla, paymaster of the royal army and navy, who took part in the conquest of the city in 1487. It is believed that the building was erected over the remains of a Nasrid palace of which some elements still survive, such as the tower to the east of the main courtyard.

Diego de Cazalla made every effort in the construction of the building. Italian and Mudejar elements join together in this sober and elegant building. By the 19th century the palace had became less of a family residence and instead began to assume other roles.

Declared a national monument in 1939, the palace was rented to the State in 1946 to house the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, which opened in 1961. The museum remained there until 1997 when the building was acquired to display the collection of the future Museo Picasso Málaga. This choice reflected the express desire of the principal donor, Christine Ruiz-Picasso, who envisioned the collection to be exhibited in a typically Andalusian building.

In 2006 the American Institute of Architects awarded the MPM the Institute’s Honor Award for Architecture. The jury commented: “This is a beautiful job of restoration architecture… It is appropriately modest, weaving a museum into the fabric of this Mediterranean city… New portions were simply and elegantly inserted in and around the 16th century castle, the outdoor courtyards and the city streets.”

If you would like to visit Picasso Museum in Malaga: https://www.museopicassomalaga.org/