The Redhead Riter

Witty, Intelligent & Addictive

Pablo Picasso – 49 Interesting Facts About His Life And Art

By 80 Comments

“When I was a child,
my mother said to me,
‘If you become a soldier,
you’ll be a general.
If you become a monk,
you’ll end up as the pope.’
Instead I became a painter
and wound up as Picasso.”
~Pablo Picasso
Picasso is fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed gathering together forty-nine interesting facts about his life and art. Do you know how many pieces of art he created? If you don’t already know the answer to that question, I think you will be blown away when you find out. Picasso’s life definitely reflects his passion for living.

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century

 

  • On October 25, 1881, Pablo Picasso was born.
  • Pablo Picasso was born as Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Crispiniano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.
  • Picasso’s name is a series of the names of saints and relatives.
  • Picasso was born in Spain in the city of Málaga in the Andalusian region.
  • Pablo Picasso was the first child of Don José Ruiz y Blasco and María Picasso y López.
  • Don José Ruiz, Pablo Picasso’s father, was a painter who specialized in naturalistic depictions of birds and other game.
  • Picasso’s family was middle-class.

Art washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life.
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • Picasso always had a passion for drawing and was skilled from a very early age.
  • Picasso’s mother, María Picasso y López, said that his first words were “piz, piz” which was short for lápiz and that is the Spanish word for “pencil”.
  • In 1890, Picasso received formal artistic training in figure drawing and oil painting. He became so preoccupied with his art that his school work suffered.
  • In 1895, when Picasso was 13, his seven year old sister, Conchita, died of diphtheria and it left him traumatized.

“Art is the lie that enables us
to realize the truth.”
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • After his sister, Conchita’s death, Picasso and his family moved to Barcelona. Picasso’s father, Don José Ruiz took a position at its School of Fine Arts.
  • Picasso was accepted to the School of Fine Arts at age thirteen after taking completing his entrance exam in a week. The normal timing for this testing period was one month. Obviously, Pablo Picasso impressed the school officials.
  • At age sixteen, Picasso attended Madrid’s Royal Academy of San Fernando which he stopped attending shortly after enrolling because he did not like formal education.
  • Picasso made his first trip to Paris in 1900 which was considered the art capital of Europe.
  • Picasso learned to speak French.

I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it.
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • By the beginning of 1901, Picasso started signing his work and only signed his last name.
  • In 1904, Picasso met Fernande Olivier, a Bohemian artist who appears in many of Picasso’s Rose period paintings and they became lovers.
  • In 1905, Picasso met Henri Matisse who was a lifelong friend and rival.
  • After Picasso acquired a bit of fame and fortune, he left his girlfriend, Fernande Olivier and entered a relationship with Marcelle Humbert.

 

Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910

  • Marcelle Humbert was called Eva Gouel by Picasso and she was included in his Cubist works. Marcelle Humbert (Eva Gouel) died in 1915 at the age of thirty.
  • Picasso married a ballerina named Olga Khokhlova in 1918.
  • Picasso and Khokhlova had a son they named Paulo.
  • Picasso’s marriage to Khokhlova did not last long, but he did not divorce her because that would have meant she would obtain half of his wealth. When Khokhlova died in 1955, she was still legally married to Picasso.
  • In 1927, Picasso met 17-year-old Marie-Thérèse Walter and began a secret affair with her. With her, Picasso fathered a daughter with her, named Maya.
  • Picasso also wrote poetry. Between 1935 and 1959 Picasso wrote over 300 poems that were mostly untitled except for an occasional date and location of where it was written.

“Everything you can imagine is real.”
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • In 1944, Picasso began a romantic relationship and lived with a girl who was 40 years younger – Françoise Gilot.
  • Picasso and Gilot had two children named Claude (1947) and Paloma (1949). She continued to hope that Picasso would marry her some day. However, after she had filed for divorce from her husband, PIcasso secretly married his second wife.
  • In 1951, Picasso had a an affair with Geneviève Laporte even though he was still married to Gilot. The shocking thing about the affair was that Laporte was 44 years younger than Picasso!

“Love is the greatest refreshment in life.
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • In 1961, Picasso married Jacqueline Roque and she was with him until his death.
  • Picasso is considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. He was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer.
  • Pablo Picasso is widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture and the co-invention of collage.
  • In 1967, Picasso made a public sculpture in downtown Chicago call the Chicago Picasso. He donated it to the city of Chicago and would not accept payment. No one knows what the sculpture represents.
Chicago Picasso, a 50' high public Cubist sculpture

 

  • On April 8, 1973, Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France.
  • Picasso’s final words were “Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink any more.”
  • Picasso was interred at the Chateau of Vauvenargues on a property he had acquired in 1958.
  • Picasso had mistresses throughout his whole life even while he was married or living with someone.

“There are only two types of women
– goddesses and doormats.”
~Pablo Picasso
 

  • Picasso was married twice and had four children by three women.
  • Four years after Picasso’s death, his mistress, Marie-Thérèse hanged herself and his wife, Jacqueline Roque, shot herself in 1986.
  • Picasso’s work is divided into periods known as: the Blue Period (1901–1904), the Rose Period (1905–1907), the African-influenced Period (1908–1909), Analytic Cubism (1909–1912), and Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919).
  • Picasso’s Blue Period (1901–1904) are somber paintings mostly in shades of blue and blue-green colors.
The Old Guitarist, 1903 and Le Gourmet (The Greedy Child), 1901

 

  • Picasso’s Rose Period (1904–1906) consist of happy orange and pink colors splashed on circus people, acrobats and harlequins which is the symbol by which he became known.
The Actor, 1904 and Garçon à la pipe, (Boy with a Pipe), 1905
Family of Saltimbanques, 1905

 

  • Picasso’s African-influenced Period (1907–1909) was inspired by African artifacts.
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

 

  • Pablo Picasso used monochrome brownish and neutral colors during his Analytic Cubism Period (1909–1912) which is when he took objects apart and analyzed their shapes.
  • Picasso made collages from cut paper fragments such as wallpaper and newspapers during his Synthetic Cubism Period (1912–1919).
  • One of Picasso’s most famous pieces is Guernca which is his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. When asked to explain this famous piece, Picasso said, “It isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols. Otherwise it would be better if he wrote them out in so many words! The public who look at the picture must interpret the symbols as they understand them.”
Guernica, 1937

 

  • It is estimated that Picasso produced 50,000 pieces of art which include paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings, prints, tapestries and rugs.
  • Several paintings by Picasso rank among the most expensive paintings in the world. In US currency, Garçon à la pipe sold for $104 million in 2004; Dora Maar au Chat sold for $95.2 million in 2006; Nude, Green Leaves and Bust was sold at $106.5 million in 2010; the 1932 work, which depicts Marie-Thérèse Walter reclining and as a bust along with the rest of a personal collection was valued at over $150 million in 2010.
  • More of Picasso’s paintings have been stolen than those of any other artist.

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century

“Only put off until tomorrow
what you are willing to die
having left undone.”
~Pablo Picasso
The Redhead Riter

Filed Under: Art

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  4. wow i can’t belieave how many facts about pablo picasso there is and how many good/bad pic’s there was!!!! I wonder why he did those bad pic’s not that i care 🙂

    Reply

  7. Thanks to you Redhead Riter for the succinct but informative facts you have included. You present in a style which includes a sense of humor. Lovely.

    Can you tell me anything more about Picasso’s ceramic works. Where is his studio? Has it been kept for visitors to see? I did see some at a NY Moma some years ago. I am enchanted and would so love to see more. I am making a trip for my 80th Birthday this May and it would be the Crown on my days. Thanking you for all you have shown me and others, In your debt I remain, Silvie

    Reply

    • I have to admit that I didn’t know who Kandisky was so I Googled him. Fascinating! I had seen his work, but either had completely forgotten his name or never knew it. I’m leaning towards the aging brain. LOL

      Reply

  13. This fact “In 1895, when Picasso was seven years old, his sister, Conchita, died of diphtheria and it left him traumatized.” is not accurate sorry I think you meant to say that his sister was seven. If he was born in 81 it would make him 13-14 years old, right? Thank you for the interesting facts. =D

    Reply

  14. i thought this would surely have the answers to my homework. unfortunately not. thnx 4 all the gr8 info tho!
    love genessa aged 13 (yr 7)

    Reply

  16. Thanks this really helped with my homework! I’m 12 but never too young to learn about the fascinating Pablo Diego Jose Franscisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruiz y Picasso! 😀

    ~ Aimee xx

    Reply

  18. thank you it has helped me with my homework alot i only had to do 10 question however ive done about 20 …!!!!!!!!!! thank you very much for putting all this information on here , its been a great help xx

    Reply

  20. Thank you so much! This has helped me with my homework and i also found out more about Picasso! This website is brilliant!

    Reply

  21. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Crispiniano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (aka. Picasso) is an extremely interesting man! It suprised me that he cheated on his wives. Although this may not have had much of what I needed for my homework (yeah art teachers love to make us do reports on his art techniques and etc etc) it gave me really cool facts! It was so interesting to read, thanks!

    Reply

  22. I got stupid ART Hw for Picasso and this website actually really helped me with my drawings and Facts Ty so much for the help 😀

    Reply

  23. Thanks, this really helped me! I’ve never liked Picasso but we had to do an art project on him – I never knew he had all those girlfriends/wives/mistresses/ etc. Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  26. Sherry Riter, 2 Years later, we are still here for Homeworks 🙂
    Thanks a lot.
    Relwende Sawadogo from Burkina Faso (West Africa)

    Reply

  28. I appreciate your interest and passion for his art. The only good thing is that you have not met in person when he was alive , else even you would have fallen for him . ( hope you take it lightly for fun)

    Reply

  30. Well, I didn’t come here for homework help like so many others who have commented. I love art and I also love trivia and little known facts. I had to take an art class in college and from there I learned and then developed the like. What i loved most about your post was the quotes. I had never heard any of them before. He was a wise man with words but maybe not in his personal life choices. Or maybe he was lol if he had all of these much younger women pining over him while he had others on the side.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Denise! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

      “He was a wise man with words but maybe not in his personal life choices. Or maybe he was…” LOLOLOL You cracked me up!!! 😉

      Reply

  32. I enjoyed this immensely and can’t tell you how. many
    times I said ” Wow” or just laughed out loud! I was trying to
    verify a Pinterest quote attributed to Picasso before I shared it with my 11
    Year old budding artist grandson. Your post sounds like Picasso may have well said

    “LEARN THE RULES LIKE A PRO SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM LIKE AN ARTIST.”

    Reply

Trackbacks