Couverture, Color Lithograph
Artist, the dominating figure of early 20th Century art, born in Málaga, S Spain. He studied at Barcelona and Madrid, and in 1901 set up a studio in Montmartre, Paris. His ‘blue period’ (1902–4), a series of striking studies of the poor in haunting attitudes of despair and gloom, gave way to the gay, life-affirming ‘pink period’ (1904–6), full of harlequins, acrobats, and the incidents of circus life. He then turned to brown, and began to work in sculpture. His break with tradition came with ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ (1906–7, New York), the first exemplar of analytical Cubism, a movement which he developed with Braque (1909–14). From 1917 he became associated with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, designing costumes and sets. His major creation is ‘Guernica’ (1937, Madrid), expressing in synthetic Cubism his horror of the bombing of this Basque town during the Civil War. During World War 2 he was mostly in Paris, and after the liberation joined the communists. A great innovator, he also illustrated classical texts, and experimented in sculpture, ceramics, and lithography. The Museu Picasso was opened in Málaga in 2003. Housed in a former palace, the museum was founded in collaboration with the artist’s family, who have donated many works on display.
"Picasso, Pablo (25 Oct 1881 – 8 Apr 1973)." The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia. West Chiltington: Crystal Semantics, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2012.