Travel - In the footsteps of Picasso in Catalonia

Salvador Dali isn't the only one with links to Catalonia. Pablo Picasso lived in Barcelona at the start of his career, and several Catalan institutions are paying tribute to the painter, whose 50th death we commemorate this year. Numerous events and exhibitions are scheduled throughout this special Celebracion Picasso year.

To begin your Picasso journey in Catalonia, you must visit the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, devoted entirely to the artist's work. Its collection contains some 4,200 works, and it organizes interesting temporary exhibitions, such as the current one devoted to Picasso and food.

Also in Barcelona, the Palau de Caldes d'Estrac Foundation presents the collection of Josep Palau i Fabre, one of the greatest specialists in Picasso's work. In addition to some 50 paintings by Picasso, the center boasts a library and a collection of 20th-century Catalan paintings.

Next stop: the Centre Picasso Horta de Sant Joan, near Tarragona. This former hospital, which became the headquarters of the Centre Picasso in 1992, houses a collection of works, notably from the master's Cubist period.

Another must-see is the Musée Picasso de Gósol, with some 300 works by the artist, whose stay in Gosol, a small village in the Pyrenees, in 1906 had a decisive influence on the development of his art.