Picasso Museum to Open in Aix-en-Provence in 2021

A new museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso will open in Aix-en-Provence, France, in 2021, promoted by Catherine Hutin-Blay, daughter of Jacqueline Roque, Picasso's last wife. The museum will be housed in the former Couvent des Prêcheurs, purchased by Hutin-Blay's company Madame Z from the city of Aix-en-Provence for €11.5 million, below the government valuation of €12.2 million. The collection, one of the largest of Picasso's works, includes paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculptures, and photographs, focusing on his last twenty years (1952-1973). The museum will feature 1,500 square meters of exhibition space, with 1,000 for permanent collections and 500 for temporary shows. It will also include a Picasso Research Center and public workshops for ceramics and printmaking. The institution will be named after both Picasso and Jacqueline Roque. Janie Cohen, director of the Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont, called it "a gift for knowledge about Picasso," noting that most works from his later years have never been exhibited or published. The museum joins existing Picasso museums in Barcelona, Málaga, Paris, and Antibes.