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Pablo Ruiz Picasso[a][b](25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor,printmaker,ceramicist, andtheatre designerwho spent most of his adult life inFrance. One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding theCubistmovement, the invention ofconstructed sculpture,[8][9]the co-invention ofcollage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. Among his most famous works are theproto-CubistLes Demoiselles d'Avignon(1907) and the anti-war paintingGuernica(1937), a dramatic portrayal of thebombing of Guernicaby German and Italian air forces during theSpanish Civil War.
Beginning his formal training under his fatherJosé Ruiz y Blascoaged seven, Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from a young age, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. After 1906, theFauvistwork of the older artistHenri Matissemotivated Picasso to explore more radical styles, beginning a fruitful rivalry between the two artists, who subsequently were often paired by critics as the leaders ofmodern art.[10][11][12][13]
Picasso's output, especially in his early career, is often periodized. While the names of many of his later periods are debated, the most commonly accepted periods in his work are theBlue Period(1901–1904), theRose Period(1904–1906), theAfrican-influenced Period(1907–1909), AnalyticCubism(1909–1912), and Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919), also referred to as theCrystal period. Much of Picasso's work of the late 1910s and early 1920s is in aneoclassicalstyle, and his work in the mid-1920s often has characteristics ofSurrealism. His later work often combines elements of his earlier styles.
Exceptionally prolific throughout the course of his long life, Picasso achieved universal renown and immense fortune for his revolutionary artistic accomplishments, and became one of the best-known figures in20th-century art.
