One of the most famous figures in 20th century art, Pablo Picasso spent much of his early life in Barcelona and the Picasso Museum is an essential stop for anyone with an interest in seeing the developing style of this fascinating painter. It is important to note that the collection focuses on the artist’s early years as a youth in Barcelona, so visitors should not expect to see his most celebrated cubist works which are mostly in Paris.

Many of the paintings were donated by Picasso himself in 1970 and the works on display show the development from traditional portraits and landscapes to an outstanding room full of paintings from the distinctive Blue Period. There are cubist paintings to be seen too though, most notably Picasso´s own unique interpretation of Velazquez´s famous Las Meninas, here broken down into 57 different canvases.

The museum is set into three linked medieval palaces close to Sta Maria del Mar in El Born district, a gorgeous setting worth visiting in itself. The Picasso Museum is Barcelona’s most popular museum, so it is definitely worth getting thee early to try and beat the queues.