Getaways

Speaking of Horta de Sant Joan Picasso said, “Everything I've learned I learned in Horta”. He lived in the town on two occasions, the first in 1898, invited by his friend Manuel Pallarès, while he recovered from an illness, and on the second occasion in 1909, accompanied by his girlfriend, Fernande Olivier. If you visit the town today you can see the places where Picasso spent his time, as well as the landscapes he immortalised in his paintings.
 
THE PICASSO CENTRE

The Picasso Centre is the first stop for any visit to Sant Joan. It is located in the former hospital and is a private concern with a permanent exhibition of reproductions all the works Picasso painted during his two stays in the town. Also on display are a number of objects, photographs and accounts that illustrate Picasso's Time in Horta.
 
THE STREETS OF HORTA DE SANT JOAN

The whole town was something of a canvas for Picasso. He painted the streets, the squares and the houses. The Hostal del Trompet, in the Plaça de la Missa, is where Picasso stayed with his girlfriend, Fernande Olivier, in the summer of 1909. Picasso's studio was also in this square, in the loft of the house of his friend the baker, Tobies Membrado, and it was here that he painted some decisive works that would define Cubism as we know it today.
 
THE MOUNTAIN OF SANTA BÀRBARA AND THE CONVENT OF SANT SALVADOR

The mountain of Santa Bàrbara, which Picasso painted in a number of his works, was one of the first places to be visited by the young artist and his friend Manuel Pallarès after he arrived in Horta de Sant Joan in 1898. Picasso also painted the Convent de Sant Salvador, located at the foot of this mountain. One of the most notable paintings is an oil painting entitled, La processó del convent.
 
THE PICASSO CAVE

Picasso and Pallarès decided to spend a few days of summer in the cave, used as a refuge by shepherds, in the mountain of Santa Bàrbara. The cave can now be visited following the Picasso Cave route which has been signposted by the Parc Natural dels Ports. All the necessary information, including maps, is available from the Ecomuseu dels Ports.
 
Visit more Picasso locations in Horta de Sant Joan.

More information is available in the Paisatge dels Genis


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