1000 Museums

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (b. 1881 – d. 1973) was born in Malaga, Spain. At an early age, Picasso showed great artistic promise. In 1895, Picasso’s family moved to Barcelona, where he attended the School of Fine Arts. In 1897, Picasso entered the Madrid Academy and from 1898 to 1899, Picasso visited Horta de Sant Joan and, while there, created a Cubist-style work based on Horta de Sant Joan itself.

Picasso stretched the bounds of the art world through his radical creations and constant innovation, often blending artistic styles to create something entirely new. He is credited with co-founding the Cubism movement, which breaks subjects into pieces and rearranges them into abstract creations, giving the viewer a unique perspective. When creating one of his most famous paintings, Guernica, Picasso exclusively used a palette of gray, black, and white to speak to the viewer and make a political statement about the war. His revolutionary spirit has gone on to inspire the next generation of artists, encouraging them to think outside of the box and experiment with their artistic style. Picasso’s art is often broken into distinct periods that specify his stylistic inspirations at that time. For example, one of his earliest periods, The Blue Period, is marked by cool tones and somber subjects. During this period he created some of his most striking pieces, like The Blue Room and La Miséreuse accroupie.