Le Musée National Picasso

On our first weekday here in Paris, we had to plan out our museums because some are closed on Mondays and the Louvre on Tuesdays. Le Musée National Picasso is my second favorite in Paris. I try to always go when I come to Paris, and each time I am amazed how talented and prolific Picasso was.

Living in Florence :: Le Musée National Picasso

We walked past Châtlet-Les Halles and the Centre Pompidou to the Marais. The Marais is by far my favorite area in Paris with its small specialty shops, restaurants, and cafés.

Because it was another wonderful day, the terraces were full of people. It's the one thing I miss in Florence is the small number of places for people to drink and eat outside. Mostly, it's probably because it can get much hotter in Florence than Paris, but it would be a nice improvement. In Florence, you can see people looking for places to sit, so they camp out on the steps of the Duomo and any other place that will allow it.

It wasn't very crowded at the museum even though there were groups of young students getting a guided visit of the museum. I learned a little bit by eavesdropping the tour guide. I heard that Picasso painted his "Self-Portrait with Cloak" without looking in a mirror. He supposedly modified what he really looked like by adding a beard and making his cheeks more sunken. And it wasn't until I looked at a real picture of Picasso that I saw that the self-portrait didn't look much like him.

I took one picture of a painting that I liked. I was surprised yesterday and today that the museums allow you to take pictures exept in certain rooms where they don't want you to use flash. I don't think that's generally true in all museums as the last few times I've been to a museum in Florence, I believed it to be prohibited.

One quote that I read of Picasso's that fascinated me was: "La peinture est plus forte que moi. Elle me fait faire ce qu'elle veut." (Painting is stronger than me. It makes me do what it wants.) I guess it's true that artists don't choose their art; art chooses them.

Share your comments for this blog post on the Living in Florence's Facebook page. Grazie!

Back to Top