Overview
Picasso left Málaga at ten and never came back, but he told a friend in 1953 that he wanted his work shown here; the museum took fifty years to arrange. The collection is family-held rather than assembled by purchase, so it is strong in the private and experimental work — ceramics, sketches, portraits of Olga and Jacqueline — rather than in the famous canvases. Phoenician and Roman remains found under the palace are shown in the basement.
Highlights
See the basement excavation on the way out; the palace sits on a Phoenician wall and a Roman salting factory. His birthplace museum on Plaza de la Merced is a separate ticket ten minutes away and is small but worth it. The palace courtyard is free to enter and is a cool place to sit.