(1881-1973)

Pablo Picasso was arguably the most famous artist of the twentieth century. During his prolific artistic career, which spanned more than 75 years, he created thousands of works, not only paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, utilizing all kinds of materials. It can be said that he almost single-handedly created Modern Art and surely changed Art more profoundly than any other artist of this century. First famous for his pioneering role in Cubism, Picasso continued to develop his art with a pace and vitality comparable to the accelerated technological and cultural changes of the twentieth century. Each change embodied a radical new idea, and it might be said that Picasso lived several artistic lifetimes.

Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, in Malaga Spain, son of an artist, Jose Ruiz, and Maria Picasso. Rather than adopt the paternal name of Ruiz, the young Picasso took the maiden name of his mother. An artistic prodigy, Picasso, at the age of 14, completed the one-month qualifying examination of the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in one day. From there, he went to the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, returning in 1900 to Barcelona, where he frequented the city’s famous cabaret of intellectuals and artists, Els Quatra Gats.