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Basic data
Pablo Picasso is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. With his multifaceted work, he shaped numerous art movements, in particular Cubism, which he co-founded. In addition to painting, Picasso was also active in sculpture, graphic art and ceramics.
- Name: Pablo Picasso
- Date of birth: October 25, 1881
- Place of birth: Málaga, Spain
- Date of death: April 8, 1973
- Place of death: Mougins, France
- Nationality: Spanish
- Artistic style: Cubism, Surrealism, Classicism
- Known works: “Guernica”, “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon”, “The Old Guitarist”
- Techniques: Painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, stage design
- Influences: African art, primitivism, Paul Cézanne
- Similar artists: Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Lyonel Feininger, Henri Matisse, Max Beckmann, Francis Bacon
- Exhibitions: Numerous international exhibitions, retrospectives in major museums such as the MoMA, Tate Modern and Louvre
- Special features: Co-founder of Cubism, considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
With his impressive life's work, Picasso left a profound influence on modern art, the significance of which continues to have an impact today.
Pablo Picasso Art For Sale
Biography
Childhood & youth
Pablo Picasso was born on October 25, 1881 in Málaga, Spain, the first child of José Ruiz Blasco and María Picasso López. His extraordinary artistic talent was noticed early on. His father, himself an art teacher and painter, encouraged Picasso's talent and gave him his first drawing lessons at the age of seven. He was only 13 when he created his first important work, an oil painting entitled Le Picador, which depicts a bullfighter and anticipates Picasso's lifelong fascination with the Spanish tradition of bullfighting.
After the family moved to Barcelona in 1895, Picasso was accepted to the renowned art academy “La Llotja” at the age of 14. Despite his young age, he made rapid progress and soon surpassed his teachers. His tendency towards artistic rebellion and a break with traditional painting styles was already evident in these years.
Picasso's time in Paris and the “Blue Period”
In 1900, Picasso traveled to Paris for the first time, the center of the avant-garde at the time. The Parisian bohemians and the art scene there exerted a profound influence on him. Over the next few years, he moved between Spain and France until he finally settled in Paris in 1904. This was the beginning of his famous Blue Period, in which he created melancholic paintings dominated by blue tones, often depicting misery, loneliness and poverty. Works such as The Old Guitarist (1903) and La Vie (1903) reflect the depressive mood of this phase, influenced by personal loss and the poverty he experienced in the French capital.
Cubism and the “Pink Period”
The turning point to a more optimistic artistic phase is marked by his so-called Pink Period (1904-1906), in which circus performers, harlequins and friendly scenes are depicted predominantly in shades of pink. This phase paved the way for one of the most important inventions of modern art: Cubism.
Together with Georges Braque, Picasso developed Cubism from 1907, a radical departure from traditional perspective. In paintings such as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), he breaks down the forms into geometric fragments and shows the figures from several angles simultaneously. This revolutionary technique opened up completely new expressive possibilities for painting. Cubism shaped the painter's work in the years to come and also influenced an entire generation of artists.
Political engagement and “Guernica”
The political events in Europe, in particular the Spanish Civil War, leave a deep mark on Picasso's work. In the 1930s, his art changed and became increasingly political. In 1937, he created what is probably his most famous work, the monumental Guernica. This painting, created in response to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by the German Luftwaffe, is an indictment of the horrors of war and one of the most powerful political works of art of the 20th century. With a monochrome palette and distorted, screaming figures, Picasso depicts the suffering of the civilian population and criticizes fascism.
Late years: experiments and international recognition
During the Second World War, Picasso remained in Paris, even though the city was under German occupation. During this time, he continued to experiment with different styles and techniques. After the war, he experienced a wave of international recognition and his works were exhibited in the world's largest museums. Picasso becomes a symbol of modern art and continues to revolutionize genres such as ceramics and sculpture
In the late 1940s, he moved to the south of France and devoted himself increasingly to colorful and playful works that reflected his delight in new forms of expression. He married the dancer Olga Khokhlova and later the painter Françoise Gilot, with whom he had two children. Picasso's family life and his changing partnerships shaped not only his private life, but also his art.
Late work and legacy
In the last years of his life, Picasso remained productive and experimental well into old age. He created numerous works that dealt with art history, including variations on famous masterpieces such as The Women of Algiers (1955) after Eugène Delacroix. His late, often very erotic drawings and paintings, in which he depicts himself as an old man, also show his unbroken creative drive.
Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973 at the age of 91 in Mougins, France. He leaves behind an enormous artistic legacy consisting of over 50,000 works in a wide variety of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics and prints.
His groundbreaking works continue to shape the art of the 20th century to this day. Picasso remains a central figure in modern art, whose work is characterized by constant reinvention and inexhaustible creative potential.
Exhibitions
- 19.02.2023 - 01.05.2023 Picasso: Künstler und Modell – Letzte Bilder, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen
- 23.08.2023 - 13.11.2022 Picasso. Keramik - Ostholstein-Museum Eutin.
- 21.05.2021 - 29.08.2021 Picasso & Les Femmes d’Alger - Museum Berggruen, Berlin.
Awards
- 1950 Appointed honorary citizen of Vallauris
- 1962 International Lenin Peace Prize
- 1971 Appointed honorary citizen of Paris
Films
- Das Wunder Picasso, Henri-Georges Clouzot, documentary, France, 1957.
- Mein Mann Picasso, film biography, USA, 1996.
- Picasso. Ein Film von Henri-Georges Clouzot, documentary, France, 2021.
Literature
- Pablo Picasso - endlessly drawing, Anne Lemonnier, Johan Popelard, Munich 2024.
- Pablo Picasso. Leben und Werk. Ich suche nicht, ich finde. Siegfried Rohr, Cologne 2006.
- Picasso: Skulpturen, Werner Spies, Ostfildern 2000.
- Picasso – das Genie des Jahrhunderts, Ingo F. Walther, Cologne 1999.
- Dictionaire Picasso, Pierre Daix, Robert Laffont, Paris 1995.
Collections
France
- Paris - Musée Picasso
Spain
- Barcelona - Museu Picasso
- Málaga - Museu Picasso
- Madrid - Museu Reina Sofía
Germany
- Cologne – Museum Ludwig
- Hanover - Sprengel Museum
- Münster - Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso
