(1881–1973) Spanish painter, sculptor, graphic artist and ceramicist, one of the most important representatives of 20th-century modern art and a co-founder of Cubism. Born to an artistic family in Málaga, he showed exceptional talent from an early age, which he further developed during his studies at art academies in Spain. At the turn of the 20th century he settled in Paris, where his work gradually evolved through several distinct phases – from the melancholic Blue Period through his Pink Period to his radical experimentation inspired by African art, which eventually led to the emergence of Cubism. Along with Georges Braque, Picasso fundamentally transformed the way reality was depicted in art by deconstructing form and perspective. In the decades that followed, he continually reinvented himself, experimenting with Neoclassicism, Surrealism and new media, as well as responding to political and societal events – as in his famous work Guernica, for example. During his long and exceptionally prolific life, Picasso created thousands of works using a range of techniques, and he left a legacy that fundamentally influenced the development of world art.