Cradle of the Arts

From Paris to the Balearics, Holly Black traces the footsteps of Picasso and Miró

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ON a spring day in 1920, Joan Miró found his way to Pablo Picasso’s studio on the Rue de la Boétie, in Paris. For this much-anticipated first meeting, the young Catalan artist came armed with a cake, at the behest of Picasso’s mother, who was an old family friend. It would appear both artist and gift were well received, as Picasso soon took the fellow Spaniard under his wing, introducing him to the city’s avant-garde circles and even buying one of his self-portraits. During this period, the pair of would-be titans were experimenting with entirely new ways of seeing the world. Unbridled by any particular style or medium, they interrogated the principles of Surrealism, abstraction and the power of the unconscious. As Picasso married neo-Classical sensibilities with Cubist theories, Miró had begun moving from stylised representation to his unique form of symbols and hieroglyphs. Soon, their stars rose to imperceptible heights, to become two of the most ground-breaking artists of the 20th century.

Barcelona, €4.2 million (about £3.7m) 
Completely restored in 2000, this light and airy apartment occupies an entire floor in a historic building overlooking the city's Avenida Diagonal. Spread over 5,963sq ft, the apartment boasts two spacious suites with en-suite bathrooms, a further two bedrooms and separate bathrooms, an office, library and a fully equipped kitchen designed by La Cornue.
Amat Luxury (00 34 93 452 9960; www.amatluxury.com)