Pablo Picasso

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer who spent most of his adult life in France. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Picasso helped to co-found Cubism, explored collage and constructed sculpture, and constantly changed his style throughout his long career. His best-known works include Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Guernica, an anti-war painting inspired by the bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War. From early realism to radical modernism, his work reshaped how artists thought about form, space and expression.

Picasso showed exceptional artistic talent from childhood and began formal training with his father at a young age. In the early 1900s he moved through several important periods, including the Blue Period, Rose Period, African-influenced Period, Analytic Cubism and Synthetic Cubism. Later, he also worked in neoclassical and surrealist styles, often combining earlier ideas in new ways. His productivity, originality and willingness to experiment brought him international fame and made him one of the defining figures of modern art. Across more than seven decades, Picasso produced a vast body of work that continues to influence artists and audiences around the world.