Picasso Museum in Paris reopens after renovations, internal tumult

The Musée Picasso Paris has officially reopened following an extensive renovation that cost an estimated $66 million and saw an internal upheaval due to construction delays.

The reopening on Saturday brought a publicity blitz that sought to put a happy ending on the fraught five-year project. The museum, located in Paris’ Marais district, boasts a collection of approximately 5,000 works and is believed to have more Pablo Picasso pieces than any other institution in the world.

Officials unveiled a rejuvenated venue that boasts more exhibition space. First-day visitors included French President Francois Hollande and Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin, who recently succeeded Aurélie Filippetti.

The museum, which is located in the Hotel Salé, had been expected to reopen in June, but delays caused the project to be pushed back. Descendants of the artist criticized the museum for what they said said was its disorganization. In May, Anne Baldassari, who had led the institution since 2005 as its president, was relieved of her position by France’s Ministry of Culture.

Laurent Le Bon, who was the head of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, was named the musem’s new president over the summer. Baldassari remains with the museum as chief curator and has been a prominent face during the reopening.

The unveiling on Saturday coincided with Picasso’s birthday and was attended by his eldest daughter, Maya Widmaier Picasso. In addition, the artist’s grandson, Olivier Picasso, has helped to publicize the renovation by appearing on French television and speaking with journalists.

Pablo Picasso was born in Spain but spent much of his career in France. He died in Mougins, France, in 1973 at the age of 91.

The museum, which first opened in 1985, not only contains works by Picasso, but pieces that the artist himself collected. The institution plans to display a rotating set of hundreds of works at a time from the permanent collection.

Some journalists have noted a conspicuous lack of contextual information accompanying the works of art on view. Daphné Bétard, from Beaux Arts magazine, recently said on the French news show “64 Minutes” that the scarcity of information could lead to confusion for visitors who aren’t art experts.

In the New York Times, critic Holland Cotter wrote: “Labels with information are absent. ... Viewers need help, and deserve the choice to avail themselves of it.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT