Pablo Picasso: A Detailed Biography

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881–1973) was the most influential and prolific artist of the 20th century. Co-founder of Cubism, creator of Guernica, and producer of over 50,000 works, he reinvented art multiple times. Child prodigy, Spanish exile, Paris bohemian, and global icon, his life spanned the birth of modern art. This biography covers his Málaga childhood, Blue and Rose Periods, invention of Cubism, Guernica, wartime years, and final decades in the South of France, as documented by the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Museu Picasso Barcelona, and the Musée National Picasso-Paris.

Early Life in Spain

Birth in Málaga

Born Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, he was the first child of art teacher José Ruiz Blasco and María Picasso López. Legend says the midwife thought him stillborn until his uncle blew cigar smoke in his face, as detailed by the Smithsonian Magazine.

Prodigy Years

Barcelona and First Exhibition

By age 13 Picasso had surpassed his father’s skill. At 16 he entered Madrid’s Royal Academy but soon left, finding formal training stifling. His first exhibition was in Barcelona in 1900, as documented by the Barcelona Metropolitan.

Paris and the Blue Period (1901–1904)

Devastated by friend Carlos Casagemas’s suicide in 1901, Picasso painted in cold blues and greens — melancholic scenes of poverty, blindness, and despair. Masterpieces: The Old Guitarist, La Vie, Poor People on the Seashore, as preserved by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Rose Period (1904–1906)

Meeting Fernande Olivier brought warmth. The Rose Period featured circus performers, acrobats, and harlequins in pink and earth tones — Boy with a Pipe, Family of Saltimbanques.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Cubism (1907)

The groundbreaking Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) — five angular prostitutes inspired by African masks — shocked even his friends and launched proto-Cubism. With Georges Braque, Picasso developed Analytic Cubism (1909–1912) and Synthetic Cubism (collage, 1912–1914), as documented by the MoMA.

Guernica and the Spanish Civil War (1937)

Commissioned for the Spanish Republic’s pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair, Guernica depicts the Nazi bombing of the Basque town. The 25-foot mural became the century’s greatest anti-war painting and a symbol of fascist brutality, as preserved by the Museo Reina Sofía.

Personal Life

Picasso had four children by three women: Paulo (with Olga Khokhlova), Maya (with Marie-Thérèse Walter), Claude and Paloma (with Françoise Gilot). He married Olga (1918) and Jacqueline Roque (1961). Known for intense, often cruel relationships with women.

Death and Legacy

Pablo Picasso’s Enduring Impact

Picasso died of heart failure on April 8, 1973, in Mougins, France, aged 91. He changed art more than any artist since Michelangelo. The Picasso Museum in Paris and Barcelona’s Museu Picasso hold thousands of works. His influence on modern art is immeasurable, as celebrated by the Picasso Official Site.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pablo Picasso

Why Is Pablo Picasso Famous?

For co-founding Cubism and creating masterpieces like Guernica.

What Is Guernica?

1937 anti-war painting of the bombing of Guernica.

Where Was Pablo Picasso Born?

Málaga, Spain, October 25, 1881.

What Is Cubism?

Revolutionary movement (1907–1914) showing objects from multiple angles.

How Many Works Did Picasso Create?

Over 50,000 — paintings, sculptures, prints, ceramics.

What Are the Blue and Rose Periods?

Blue (1901–1904): melancholic blues. Rose (1904–1906): warmer circus themes.

How Did Pablo Picasso Die?

Heart failure on April 8, 1973, aged 91.