Major New Picasso Museum to open in Aix-en-Provence in 2021

The former convent and college des Precheurs in Aix Centre Ville has been sold for 11.5 million euros to house an extensive collection of Picasso’s works—2,000 in all—including paintings, ceramics, and sculptures.

The Musée Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso will be the third museum in France to be in France to be dedicated to the artist, after Paris and Antibes.

This ambitious project is not without a few objectors

There will be 1000 sq meters of permanent exhibition space, 500 sq meters of temporary space, and an auditorium. With a target of 500,000 visitors a year (1,500/day), the logistics of having that many people in this area on top of current numbers remains to be worked out.

There is a timeline for when the museum must be open within three years of receiving all the building permits and other approvals. In addition, Catherine Hutin (Picasso’s stepdaughter) cannot mount another related project within a 15-year period. Should she no longer wish to continue her ties with the facility in 15 years, she has the right to return the property to the city of Aix-en-Provence for the price she paid.

For more details on the sale of the convent, click here.

More on Picasso in Provence and the museum in Antibes.

From 1272, this heritage building in the old centre of Aix-en-Provence became the base for the college of priests (Prêcheurs). In the 17th Century, the cloister and church of La Madeleine were added. During the French Revolution, the Parliament of Provence occupied the space. Subsequently, it housed a courthouse, a teacher training facility, a music conservatory, and, in the final years, a girls’ school. The building was closed in 2015. Catherine Hutin’s visionary project will give this heritage space a renewed purpose.

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