Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
great collection, beautiful site |
| Disadvantages: |
You'll need to go to Paris ( is that a real inconvenient?) |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
As it’s not quite the time for me to go back to school I decided to explore a bit further my favourite town, Paris, but especially its museums. I don’t know if you are aware of this fact but Paris is the town where there is the highest number of museums. I begun with the Musée Picasso as I was in the neighbourhood.
Would you like to come with me?
The musée Picasso is settled at 5 rue de Thorigny in a neighbourhood named le Marais in the third. This museum have been put in “ l’Hôtel salé” an old mansion, it’s open from 9h30 am to 6 pm. Like the other French museums it’s closed on Tuesday. To go to this museum you could use the subway (station Saint-Paul, chemin vert or Sébastien Froissard) or the bus (lines 29,96,69,75). The entry is quite cheap it’s 5,50 € or 4 € if you are under 25 and it’s free for teachers and people under 18.
Let’s begin with a brief history of the neighbourhood:
In the 12th century the northern part of Philippe Auguste surrounding was covered with bogs and was the property of Abbeys. These bogs were drained to make gardens but the bogs gave their name to the neighbourhood (Marais is the translation of bogs in French).
In the 14th century king Charles the 5th leaves his castle settled in “La cite” to move into “ l’hôtel Saint-Paul», le marais is now a royal neighbourhood. During the 16th and 17th centuries the neighbourhood lives its glorious times. King Henri the fourth hires the building of the “Place royale” the actual “Place des Vosges”.
In the same time lots of mansions are built they house the intellectual life of
Paris.
L’Hôtel sale typical of this period is built in 1659.
When Louis the 14th decides to leave Paris for Versailles the glory of the Marais ends.
The neighbourhood first gets poorer during the 18th century then deteriorate during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In 1965 the neighbourhood gets a status of protected area and is going to be rehabilitate. To this purpose mansions are restored.
The museum itself:
The “ Hotel salé “ was built from 1656 to 1659 by the architect Jean Bouiller. The sculptures are tremendous they were made by the Marsys brothers and by Martin Desjardins, who had earlier work at Versailles building.
This hotel was named “Hotel Salé” (this could be translated in “salty mansion”) as its owner, Pierre Aubert lord of Fontenay, was in charge of the deduction of the Gabelle, the tax on salt.
This mansion stand between a large yard and a nice garden. On the right of the mansion stand the servants apartments and on the left stands the stable.
The mansion had many destinies before becoming a museum. For example it was the embassy of the republic of Venice but also the School of Arts and factories this highly modified its interior architecture.
In 1964 the mansion becomes listed building, then from 1974 to 1984 huge restorations are made so as to give the mansion its initial inside layout.
The decision of making a museum in the mansion is taken in 1974 and Roland Simounet is chosen to arrange the exhibition while respecting the spirit of the place.
The museum opened in 1985.
The museum itself lives thanks to a French law named “ La dation”, according to this law the heirs of an artist are allowed to pay their death duties by giving works of art to the State.
In 1973, when Picasso dies most of his work is spread between his children and widows.
They accept to let the French State choose the works of art it’ll get from Dation before than they proceed to the sharing and definitively spread Picasso’s work away.
Consequently 203 paintings, 158 sculptures, 88 ceramics, 1600 engraving, and manuscripts are chosen to become the collection of the Picasso’s Museum. Those work are chosen as they show the work of research made by the Painter during his whole life.
Then Picasso’s own collection was given to the museum. This collection was composed of work from other painters that Picasso especially appreciated but also of work of primal art from Oceania and Africa.
In 1990 Jacqueline the last wife of Picasso dies, this is the cause of a new Dation. Finally in 1992 the personal archives (photos and documents covering Picasso‘s whole life) of Picasso are given to the museum.
The museum itself is organised chronologically in 20 rooms illustrating 14 themes and on 3 floors. The visit begins on first floor then passes trough the stable where a glass roof houses Picasso’s sculptures. It ends on ground floor with the visit of the garden.
The 14 themes showed in this museum are:
-The first years: there are shown the youth work of art of Picasso but also the work from his first years in Paris.
-“ Les demoiselles d’Avignon»: In those rooms are regrouped paintings, draws and sketches that where made as a preparation to the famous painting. It really fascinating to see the huge amount of work made by an artist before a work of art but also the research around an only painting.
-Cubism: there are shown the researches made by Picasso on cubism. For exemple the famous “ Homme à la guitare “ and “Homme à la mandoline” are exposed. This illustrates the deconstructing work and the search of a new kind of representation of the reality. This work is really amazing but still is a bit hermetic to me.
-Picasso, the collector: there stands Picasso’s collection. The work of art he liked or that inspired him. There you’ll see work from “ Le Douanier Rousseau”, Matisse, Braque, Miro but also classic painting from Le Nain, Degas or Cezanne and work of primal art.
-Picasso, classic painter
-Picasso and surrealism: there stands the most known work of Picasso like “ Grand nu sur Fauteuil rouge” or “ Le Baiser”. Most of this work is based on the deconstruction of the human body (especially the women’s one). Then Picasso illustrates body composed of huge organs and with incomplete faces weirdly coloured.
This makes me feel a bit strange and I have to admit that those paintings make me fell particularly uncomfortable.
-Boisgeloup: there is shown the work that Picasso made when he was in Boisgeloup as Picasso was particularly inspirited by the place he lived in.
-The Sacrifice: illustrates Picasso’s work on crucifixion.
-The garden of sculptures
-The muses: there are regrouped the portraits of the wives of Picasso.
-The War: These paintings were made during the Second World War; they illustrate privations and suffer of war. The atmosphere of theses rooms is oppressive and the painting are a real barometer of the mood of
Europe during this period.
-Vallauris shows the work of Picasso during his stay in Vallauris. You really feel a return of his Spanish roots.
-“Jacqueline’s era “ there the last years of Picasso (his wedding to Jacqueline) are illustrated. Theses works are highly dominated by happiness. The joy of being married and to have children clearly underlines those paintings.
-The Garden
My opinion
This museum is really fascinating especially if like me you absolutely don’t know much about Picasso. For me before this visit I associated Picasso to Guernica (History classes) and to a few surrealist works that made me feel uncomfortable for several reasons.
During this visit I discovered Picasso under a new optic for example as a prodigy that was able to draw perfectly at the age of 14. But also as genius able to express himself through drawing, painting, sculpture or collage and the result is more than impressive.
During his whole life Picasso was obsessed by the search of a new kind of painting first trough cubism then trough surrealism. His aim was to find new ways of expressing volumes and things without loosing their signification. This concept is essential in Picasso’s work as in Braque’s work. Picasso wanted to keep a link with reality in painting as far as his researches lead him. Reality is constantly evocated to keep a link between the painting and the watcher.
Of course only considering a few work in isolation may still be disconcerting and quite hermetic but the real asset of this museum is that it allows the visitor to see Picasso’s work as a whole thanks to the prize of its collection. Consequently Picasso’s work is much more understandable.
The notes available in every room are really informative and very useful for the understanding of work.
The visit of this museum filled me with enthusiasm because for the first time Picasso’s work that I never had really understood talked to me. Moreover that the fact that the preparative work of “ les demoiselles d’Avignon” is shown is actually fascinating but I think it’s a pity that the final painting is not in the museum.
Next thing I’ll do is to go back to this museum with a friend of mine that study art in “ Le Louvre” this way I’ll better understand Picasso’s work.
Thank you for reading; I just hope I gave you the will to visit this museum. If you go to Paris that’s a great place to go so don’t miss it.
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