Pablo Picasso
Spanish,
(1881–1973)
Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain. Picasso was a sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist, but is best known for his painted masterpieces. In addition to being recognized as the leading figure of the Cubist movement, Picasso is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
After studying at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Picasso moved to Paris, France in 1904 where he met fellow artist George Braque who would become his partner in the Cubist movement. Just three short years later, Picasso completed his first masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907. Inspired by Paul Cezanne’s use of multiple perspectives, Picasso melded Cezanne’s influence with his interest in the abstract forms he saw in African masks, which he had been exposed to through the European colonization of Africa. Though he spent most of his adult life in France, Picasso was deeply affected by the Spanish Civil War. In 1937 he created the now iconic muralistic masterpiece Guernica in response to the bombing of the Basque town by both German Nazis and Italian fascists.
Picasso remained in France until his death on April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France.