Interesting Facts >> People >> Picasso

Facts About Pablo Picasso

by Brandon Cornett

Pablo Picasso is one the world's best known painters. He has produced many famous paintings and even helped usher in a new style of painting known as cubism. In this article, I've compiled 21 interesting facts about Pablo Picasso — the man and the artist.

21 Interesting Facts

1. Pablo Picasso was born in Spain on October 25, 1881.
2. Picasso's father was also a painter, as well an art professor. This would influence Picasso as he grew up.
3. In 1895, when Picasso was a teenager, his seven-year-old sister died from diphtheria. It was a traumatic event that would also influence his later work.
4. The family moved to Barcelona after the death of Pablo's sister.
5. In Barcelona, Pablo's father worked at the School of Fine Arts. He persuaded the officials there to let young Pablo (then only 13 years old) to take an entrance exam. To their surprise, he did very well on the exam and was soon admitted into the school.
6. Pablo Picasso was later sent by his father to study at the Royal Academy of San Fernando (in Madrid, Spain).
7. Picasso went through several stages in his life that defined his painting.
8. His Blue Period lasted from around 1900 - 1904. This period was named for both the colors he favored and the subject matter of his paintings, which often depicted people with sad expressions.
9. His aptly named Rose Period took place between 1905 and 1906, during which the artist used many pink tones and often created circus scenes.
10. In 1904, between his Blue and Rose Periods, Pablo Picasso moved to Paris, France.
11. In Paris, Picasso met other famous artists, including George Braque and Henri Matisse. He became close friends with Matisse and would later work closely with Braque.
12. In 1908, Picasso and Braque began to define a style that would become known as Cubism. The style draws heavily on geometry, angles and perspective.
13. In 1936, Pablo met Dora Maar (a.k.a. Henriette Theodora Markovitch), a French poet, photographer and painter. They met at the Cafe Les Deux Magots in Paris and soon became lovers.
14. The relationship between Picasso and Maar lasted for more than eight years, during which Picasso often used her as the subject of paintings.
15. Picasso referred to Dora Maar as his "private muse," referring to how much loved her and how much she inspired his work.
16. In April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, Picasso created one of his most famous works. Guernica is a huge mural painting that depicted the Nazi bombing of the Spanish town by the same name. The mural is 11 feet tall and more than 25 feet wide.
17. During the German occupation of Paris during World War II, the Nazis forbid Picasso from showing his paintings, which did not fit their "guidelines" for art.
18. During his lifetime, Pablo was married twice and fathered a total of four children by three different women (ballerina Olga Khokhlova, Marie-Therese Walter, and Francoise Gilot).
19. Picasso died on April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France.
20. His paintings can be found in museums all over the world. The Picasso Museum in Barcelona, Spain claims to have the largest collection of his artwork.
21. Picasso was (and still is) an important influence on the world of art.

I hope you've enjoyed these facts about Pablo Picasso the painter, and I hope this information helps you enjoy his work all the more!

References: Much of this fact sheet was compiled from widely available information. I also referred to the book Picasso, My Grandfather, by Marina Picasso (Riverhead Books, 2001).

About the Author
This fact sheet was provided by Brandon Cornett. Brandon is the creator of 21Facts.com. He is also a freelance writer and the author of many articles that can be found all over the Internet.