Paris · City Walks
Musée Picasso
Le Marais · Paris, France
Set in the 17th-century Hôtel Salé, the Musée Picasso is one of the Marais's must-see sights and a clear recommendation for any Picasso fan.
After Picasso died in 1973, his family couldn't pay the enormous inheritance tax levied by the French state, so they donated 3,500 works in lieu of payment. The government decided to show them in the Hôtel Salé, and in 1976 the architect Roland Simounet took on the restoration and remodeling to suit the character of the art and its display. The result keeps the mansion's old-world structure while adding modern facilities, making it the Marais's finest exhibition space.
Beyond Picasso's own work, you can also see pieces by other artists from his personal collection, including Matisse, Miró, Braque, Cézanne and Renoir. Picasso was Spanish, but he loved Paris so much that he spent long stretches here. The museum also holds Massacre in Korea, which depicts the horrors of the Korean War. Contemporary art galleries cluster around the museum as well.
