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Llotja

A historic Gothic-style building in Barcelona, once a mercantile exchange, now a celebrated art and cultural institution.

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After the premature death of his 7-year-old sister Conchita, Picasso and his family sought for a change of scenery. His father José Ruiz y Blasco was a respected drawing instructor who accepted a placement at the Llotja School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. 
After the family settled in their new home, Ruiz persuaded academy officials to allow his 13-year-old son to take an entrance exam. Picasso completed the assessment, which took about a month to complete, in just a single week. Despite being over five years younger than most of the students, he was accepted into the academy where he made artistic relationships that would last a lifetime. 
At the turn of the century, this fine arts school occupied the Casa Llotja de Mar in Barceloneta, now used as a convention center. The Llotja School of Fine Arts once occupied the top floor of this neoclassical building in one of the city’s most lively areas. Picasso often expressed his distaste for formal education and hated being in class, preferring to be observing on the nearby streets. While there’s not much to see inside the building, it’s easy to see why a curious Picasso enjoyed this bustling location of Barcelona as his personal playground.

braedentg 2 years ago

Llotja Articles

  • A Guide to Barcelona Through the Eyes of Picasso

    Pablo Picasso: one of the defining artists of the 20th century and a primary figure behind the Cubism movement. Although he spent the bulk of his adult life in Paris, Barcelona is where the legendary painter called his true home in times of nostalgia and sadness. Picasso was born in Málaga and later moved to […]

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