Crews work to install a piece by French Surrealist André Masson, a contemporary of Pablo Picasso, at the City Arts Center ahead of the exhibit opening Nov. 6. (Courtesy city of Round Rock)
Round Rock is now home to original works by artist Pablo Picasso as well as a recreation of the house in Málaga, Spain, where he was born.
The Museo Casa Natal Picasso opens in the City Arts Center on Nov. 6. It features nearly two dozen pieces from the Spanish artist, along with works from his contemporaries and personal collection.
“To have a world-class art exhibition right downtown, in our City Arts Center … that's a really big deal,” Round Rock Chamber President Jordan Robinson said. “I think it’s going to really elevate global perceptions of the community that Round Rock is.”
The big picture
The first phase—or season—of the exhibition, titled “Dialogues with Picasso,” features about 22 original works by the Spanish artist. Primarily known as a painter and sculptor, Picasso helped pioneer Cubism, an early 1900s art movement that broke objects and figures into geometric shapes and depicted them from multiple perspectives simultaneously.
The exhibition is part of an effort by the Texas European Foundation, led by board members Francisco Guitard and Eduardo Galindo, to foster cultural exchange and education through partnerships with the city of Round Rock and Round Rock ISD.
Guitard said Round Rock will serve as a secondary headquarters for the collection associated with the Museo Casa Natal Picasso, the Málaga, Spain, museum dedicated to the artist’s birthplace.
The team is already planning for future phases of the museum and an eventual permanent location. Locally, leaders hope the art will continue to make Round Rock a desirable place to work and live, and enhance its appeal to tourists.
“This is the only museum about the birthplace of Picasso outside of Málaga,” Guitard said.
Crews in Málaga packaged the artwork before it was transported to Round Rock's City Arts Center for display.Courtesy Texas European Foundation
The first season: Museo Casa Natal Picasso
48 total pieces in Round Rock
22 Picassos displayed
Part of about 7,000 works in Málaga collection
The local impact
The city's partnership with the Texas European Foundation was established earlier this year and aims to strengthen business, cultural and education opportunities for both cities, Robinson said.
For the Round Rock Chamber, the museum is also an asset in helping it attract businesses to the area. Robinson said the city's international cultural amenities will help it stand out to companies considering relocating or expanding in Round Rock.
“Those are some of the intangibles that we know from talking to business leaders across the world that they're really looking for when they're trying to make a decision on where to expand or locate their companies,” Robinson said.
These attractions can also be appealing for families moving to the area, she said.
Additionally, the foundation estimates the museum will draw 40,000 people to downtown Round Rock, Guitard said, based on historical attendance trends for similar events.
A separate educational initiative called the Picasso STEAM Challenge could eventually bring thousands more to the area for regional competitions, Galindo said.
Drawing interest
The Texas European Foundation estimates that its initiatives in Round Rock could drive tourism and benefit regional commerce.
40,000 museum visitors expected each season
70 total Picassos in the museum's first two seasons
100,000 travelers for STEAM Challenge events
$12.8 million in expected economic impact
Zooming in
Over the summer, the Texas European Foundation trained 101 Round Rock ISD art teachers to lead the first Picasso STEAM Challenge. The program culminates with students in fourth grade, middle school and high school creating Formula 4 race cars powered by CO2 cartridges, who then compete against one another.
According to RRISD, roughly 29,000 students are participating in the initiative.
“The Picasso STEAM Challenge has clearly subverted the tradition of pinning art to mere decoration and has elevated the role of creativity to the top of the taxonomy, where it belongs,” Zachary Jackson, Round Rock High School art teacher, said in a news release.
The top 20% of student teams will advance to a citywide competition held at Dell Diamond next fall, Galindo said, with winning teams potentially traveling to an international competition in Europe. He said the foundation plans to expand the program statewide and nationally, with the goal of hosting a K-12 championship in Round Rock.
A look ahead
Guitard said plans for the Museo Casa Natal Picasso in Round Rock include additional seasons, each lasting about six months.
The next season, “The Reason of Dreams,” will focus on Surrealism, a movement inspired by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theories that combines everyday objects in irrational ways. After that, the third planned season will follow contemporary and international responses to Picasso’s work. Each season will include work from local artists.
Additionally, next October, the Texas European Foundation plans to open a long-term museum in a back section of the City Arts Center. A design for the 4,800-square-foot space shows a labyrinth of 11 rooms, each of which centers around a color and specific idea, Guitard said.
The museum space is intended to serve a purpose beyond displaying art, he said, adding he hopes it creates new connections downtown.
Looking ahead, the foundation will focus on fundraising for a permanent home for the museum, a state-of-the-art venue called The White Stone building.
Total construction costs for the project would be $55 million, Guitard said, and the foundation has not yet identified a potential site for the building.
The markings of the museum
Phase 1: Temporary Museum (Nov. 2026-Oct. 2027)Phase 2: Picasso extension (begins Oct. 2027)Phase 3: Permanent museum (begins after 2032)
