Picasso's Mercè

In September 1896, the Ruiz-Picasso family left the flat that had been their home until then, in Carrer de la Reina Cristina, and settled in another one at number 3 in Carrer de la Mercè. Located between Passeig de Colom and Carrer Ample, the stretch of street where the Ruiz-Picasso residence was located and which disappeared following the extension of Plaça de la Mercè, was carried out in 1981. This new residence would be the last for the young Pablo in Barcelona before settling permanently in Paris in 1904, but the family continued to live there until 1926.

Using augmented reality, visitors can delve into the daily life of the young Picasso and learn about everything that influenced him and spurred him on to become the genius we all know. La Mercè de Picasso is an immersive installation of 140 m² in Plaça de la Mercè, offering an experience through which we can discover the childhood and adolescence of the future painter in the environment he grew up in. Mostly though, it is a way for us to reflect on the importance of everything around us, our family, friends, neighbourhood or society, as we grow up.

Everybody who enters La Mercè de Picasso will never see Plaça de la Mercè in the same way: this creation by Squaremmkm, an organisation with bases in London, Seoul, Boston and Barcelona and which designs experiences based around art and culture, as well as other projects, will transform the space to recreate the house where the young Picasso picked up his brushes for the first time. Anybody wishing to can continue the visit with Missió de barri videoguiada.