Born in central Malaga in 1881

"K2T Wisata"

Andalucia’s indisputable creative giant was none other than painter and sculptor, Pablo Picasso. Born in central Malaga in 1881, Picasso spent the first decade of his life in this luminous, exuberant port, thematically absorbing and obsession with building as well as his iconic dove of peace. Although he never returned to his hometown after a brief visit in 1900, Malaga never forgot him. Finally, in 2003, the much overdue Museo Picasso opened its doors to reveal a stupendous collection of around 250 major works, donated and loaned by Christine Ruiz-Picasso, his daughter-law, and Bernard, his grandson.

In order to reintegrate their prodigal son, the Andalucian government invested nearly 70 million euros in his landmark in the heart of old Malaga, just a few minutes walk from the artist’s birthplace in Plaza de la Merced. It joins a handful of major sights clustered around a hill which overlooks the port: a Roman theater, the much-renovated 11th century Alcazaba and, high above, the ruins of the 14th century Gibralfaro castle. All are striking relics of Malaga’s long history – a factor that delayed the museum schedule by over two years when Phoenician walls were uncovered in its foundations. Now spotlit as artworks in themselves, these walls lie below a beautifully renovated Renaissance mansion. Locked into this edifice is an intelligently designed extension by New York architect Richard Gluckman and Spanish architects Isabel Camara and Rafael Martin Delgado. The Malaga, a seaside town not previously associated with a strong cultural agenda, now claims not only the Museo Picasso, but also a slick contemporary art center, the CAC, and a sharply designed museum illustrating the town’s history. As a result, instead of speeding from the airport en route to the sybaritic delights of Marbella ot north to towering splendor of the Allhambra, many people are now giving more time to his extroverted Andalucian crossroads. Art aside, Malaga is an unpretentious place for enjoying tapas bars, pedestrianized shopping streets, breezy seafood restaurants and a few city beaches.