Museu Centre Picasso a Horta de Sant Joan Horta de Sant Joan

The Picasso Center of Horta aspires to be a permanent tribute to Picasso, with the aim of bringing together the most faithful reproductions possible of all the works that the artist created in Horta or inspired by Horta, thus immortalizing this town. Both visitors and scholars will be able to find a compelling example of the deep ties that unite this land with the great artist. These reproductions not only reflect Picasso's artistic skill, but also the profound influence that Horta had on his work and life. The ties created between Picasso and Horta are undeniable, and he himself summed up this connection in his famous phrase:

EVERYTHING I KNOW I HAVE LEARNED IN HUERTA.

2024 Schedule in PDF format: 2024 Picasso Center Calendar

HISTORY

The Picasso Center is a private, non-profit entity that aims to honor Picasso, perhaps the greatest artist of the 20th century. He wants to show the strong plastic and emotional ties that generated a singular work that reflects Picasso's deep appreciation for Horta.

The Old Hospital, a Renaissance building built in 1575, is the current headquarters of the Picasso Center, where facsimile reproductions of almost all the works made during his stays in Horta and others that evoke this place are exhibited.

The Picasso Center allows you to see together the works of two important periods of Picasso: the first steps towards a free style in 1898 and the outbreak of cubism in 1909. Many of Picasso's works in Horta are landscapes, visible both in the Center and in the landscapes originals that Picasso saw more than a hundred years ago.

Building

The building that houses the Picasso Center is the Old Hospital, a Renaissance building built in 1575 by the City Council outside the wall, intended to house poor sick people and transients.

On the first floor, there was a chapel dedicated to the Virgen de los Desamparados.

In 1837, during the Carlist wars, it was burned down and later restored. Until 1985 it was a civil guard barracks. After a complete restoration, it was opened to the public in 1992 as the headquarters of the Picasso Center.

What is exposed

Low level

Manuel Pallarès Space

This room is dedicated to telling the great friendship between Picasso and Manuel Pallarès. A series of panels, with texts and images, show the 78 years of uninterrupted friendship.

This space is also suitable for temporary exhibitions.

We will also find the Picasso tadpoles of Horta, which accompany the giants Salvador and Bárbara to all the popular festivals.

First floor

The first stay: June 1898 – January 1899

On the first floor , high-quality facsimile reproductions of the works produced during the eight months of Picasso's first stay in Horta are displayed. Showcase tables show, grouped by themes (portraits of children, people working, goats, trees, etc.), the drawings and sketches made during this time. Several explanations help us interpret these works.

Reproductions of oils and color drawings are displayed on the walls. You will find El Mas del Quiquet, several landscapes and streets of Horta, some portraits and the magnificent oil of The procession in the convent.

You can also see other works made in Barcelona, in the years 1902 and 1903, that refer to the town, known as the Evocations of Horta.

Second floor

Cubism: summer 1909

Facsimile reproductions of the works made during the second stay in Horta are on display. There are also works made in Paris in the spring of 1909, evoking memories of the first stay. Those dedicated to the Temptations of Saint Anthony and the Carnival in the tavern stand out.

The works from 1909 are framed in geometric cubism and are linked to Horta. The converging edges of Horta's landscapes and the curves of Fernande's portraits give the impression that Fernande's head and Santa Barbara Mountain are superimposed. The process culminates in the two paintings titled Naked Woman on Mountain Backgrounds, where the landscape of the town and the woman he loves are united in these large oils.