Pablo
PicassO
Pablo Picasso is unquestionably the most famous artist of the 20th Century. In his artistic life, lasting more than 75 years, he created tens of thousands of works, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, original lithographs, etchings, linoleum cuts and ceramics. No single artist has had a greater influence on Modern Art and has changed art more profoundly in the 20th Century. Picasso has been described as having lived several lifetimes artistically. He created Cubism (with George Braque) and continued thereafter to develop his art with a velocity that is comparable to the pace and dramatic change of the 20th Century. In 1907. Picasso created the painting that would, in essence, change Modern Art, “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.:" Arists from all over the world made pilgrimages to see the work themselves. It led to Picasso's collaboration with Braque (lasting into the 1920s) which created Cubism. The 1920s were important years in the development of Picasso's art and fame. He designed theater sets and painted in cubist, neo-classical, and surrealist styles. In 1937, the fascists horrified the world with the bombing of the civilian town of Guernica, Spain. Picasso was deeply affected by the carnage and responded by creating his other most notorious masterpiece, "Guernica." Picasso also became one of the most important original printmakers of all time. He was never content to use any media in its purely traditional way and he revolutionized many of the graphic media he employed. Picasso died on April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France at the age of 91.
Fumeur au Maillot Raye Gris et Bleu
(Smoker in Grey and Blue Striped Jersey), 1964 16 3⁄8 x 12 5⁄8
Aquatint in color on Auvergne Richard de Bas laid paper
Hand-signed in pencil lower right by the artist and annotated: ‘Picasso’
From the Arabic numbered edition of 50 examples Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris