Pablo Picasso would often say to his children: "I want Málaga to have a large museum with my works". And it's precisely Málaga, the city of his birth, that always played an important role in the life of the cubist painter and sculptor. We will tour the parts of the city where Picasso once walked.
Picasso's birthplace
Pablo Ruíz Picasso was born on the second floor of number 15 Plaza de la Merced in 1881. A few years later, his whole family moved to the third floor of one of the neighbouring buildings, which is where they lived until the painter moved to La Coruña. It was in this second home that he began his career as an artist and it was here that he created his first works of art as a child. The building where they lived is currently being used as the location of the Picasso Foundation Birthplace Museum, where you can go to gaze at his first works of art.
Plaza de La Merced
Plaza de la Merced was Picasso's playground and often mentioned by the painter and his friends. One of his favourite pastimes was playing "bulls and bullfighters" given he was such a big fan of bullfighting.
Calle Granada
On Calle Granada, the Mamely Pharmacy (now called Bustamante) is where we find our first traces of the painter. At the back of this building, Picasso's father used to organise social gatherings. A few metres further on, we come across the Parroquia de Santiago, which is the church where Picasso's parents and grandparents got married and where he and his sisters were baptised.
Calle San Agustín
Calle San Agustín is the street where we find the Málaga Picasso Museum, housed in the Buenavista Palace. This street is just to the left of Calle Granada, and it seems the place where Picasso went to nursery was at the top of this street. The Municipal Museum was housed in a building on this street for a while, and its curator was Picasso's father.
Plaza de la Constitución
On Plaza de la Constitución, we now find the Málaga Cultural Centre, which used to be the San Telmo School of Fine Arts. Picasso was a pupil at this school, and later, he became a teacher there.
Calle Comedias
Calle Comedias is the street that contains the San Rafael School, which Picasso attended as a child.
Plaza de San Francisco
Plaza de San Francisco contains the María Cristina Unicaja Concert Hall, which used to be the School of Science, Literature and Art where Picasso was "baptised" as a painter in 1897.
Calle Gaona
On Calle Gaona, we come to the Vicente Espinel Secondary School, previously the School of Secondary Education, where the painter took exams to get into the school in La Coruña.
La Malagueta Bullring
Picasso was in the audience for the bullfights at the La Malagueta Bullring on several occasions. He usually went with his father.
There are many places in Málaga that witnessed the growth and development of Pablo Picasso as an artist. He at one point stated that Málaga was his ideal city, hence the quote: "Look over there, to the south – that's where Málaga is".
