Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is the figurehead of modern art, a 20th century artistic giant to whom we owe Cubism, "broken" female portraits, blue and rose coloured paintings, and monumental pieces calling for political change.

His immense body of work continues to inspire artists today. Over the course of his lifetime, he created over 20,000 artworks from paintings, limited-edition prints and lithographs, sculptures and ceramics. From his early blue and rose works to his revolutionary Cubist experiments, he transcended artistic movements and inscribed himself in the canons of art history through bold and unprecedented artistic creations.

To see the chronology of his artistic career as illustrated by artworks, read our profile on Pablo Picasso as we highlight the ten most important paintings created throughout the artist's lifetime.

THE BIRTH OF CUBISM

Picasso, along with Georges Braque, developed the cubist movement, exploring the decomposition and reconstruction of forms. The analytical cubism of Picasso and Braque is exemplified in their respective works Les Trois Femmes (1908) and Violon et Bougie (1910). In these famous paintings, deconstructed objects merge into abstract elements, prefiguring the later to come synthetic cubism.

Cubism in art as it was conceived in the early 1900s is a way of portraying the entirety of an object or a subject in a three-dimensional manner without the use of shading or perspective. It essentially allows the artist to break the subject into a series of geometrical shapes in order to depict an entire form.

SYNTHETIC CUBISM

In the 1910s, Picasso moved towards Synthetic Cubism, in which elements of everyday life were incorporated into his works. Nature morte à la chaise cannée (1912) is a rare example, revealing real elements within an abstract composition. Collage became a predominant technique.

PICASSO IN COLOUR - HIS BLUE PERIOD

The first period in Picasso’s work was characterized by a series of blue paintings, produced in an era known as his Blue Period which lasted from 1901 to 1903. Over the course of these years, Picasso immersed his compositions in a blue tint to reflect his rather gloomy vision of the world. These deep blue hues, full of melancholy, can be seen in works such as La Mort de Casagemas (1901) and La Vie (1903). Later critics have come to believe that instead of viewing these works through a lens of dread and anxiety, they rather express human compassion and vulnerability.

PICASSO IN COLOUR - HIS ROSE PERIOD

Later, the "Rose Period" emerged. As one can imagine, it was characterized by warm tones, circuses and scenes of bohemian life. In 1906, however, Picasso started to move away from figurative painting, focusing instead on paintings with more geometric patterns. And finally queue, the emblematic work that bridges the gap between the two, geometric and pink tones; the famous Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907).

LES DEMOISELLES D'AVIGNON: A MILESTONE IN ART HISTORY

Often considered the catalyst of Cubism, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon features geometric shapes and distorted faces, breaking with the artistic conventions of the time. African masks strongly influenced this piece, ushering in a new era in art history.

There are many details that make this piece groundbreaking such as the absence of shadows and perspective. The flat picture plane is aggrandized by the massive, size of the work, measuring over 2 meters on each side. Picasso’s angular forms break with the typical representation of the female body. Against a backdrop of drapery, all of the figures are facing the viewer except for one.

Seated at the bottom right of the painting, a woman with an impossible posture spreads her legs and looks back at the viewer. Her gaze is cutting. Of all the faces, hers is the most complex. It embodies the asymmetrical shapes and curves that become a common visual indicator of Cubism.

PICASSO AND HIS SHOW-STOPPING GUERNICA PAINTING

One of Picasso's most poignant works is Guernica, created in response to the brutal bombing of the Spanish city during the Civil War in 1937. This gigantic fresco (3.5 meters high and 7.8 meters wide) depicts the suffering and horror of war, embodying resistance and indignation.

Guernica, the painting for which he is probably the most famous, was a way for him to speak out against the Spanish Civil War that was waging in the city of Guernica in 1937. This marks the first time in his life that he takes a political stance. In 1951, another conflict caught his attention, the Korean War. Picasso never sought to hide his alliance with the Communist party and used the painting Massacre in Korea—which was heavily influenced by Francisco de Goya’s painting The Third of May 1808—to criticize the oppression of totalitarian states during the Cold War.

AFRICAN ART AND ITS INFLUENCE ON PICASSO

A great admirer of African relics and motifs, Picasso understood the cultural importance and powerful symbolism. He first encountered African art in Paris and subsequently had a revelation. Claiming to have been able to feel their power, he was inspired to incorporate them into Western Art in a way that does not re-appropriate them but rather shows reverence.

SCULPTURES AND CERAMICS

The diversity of Picasso's work also extends to sculpture and ceramics. La Femme au Jardin (1929) and Tête de Taureau (1942) embody his ability to manipulate a variety of materials, while his ceramics, including Chouette de Profil (1949) and Femme aux bras écartés (1962), add a tactile dimension to his creations.

PICASSO AUCTION PRICES: A SERIES OF RECORD-BREAKING SALES

Pablo Picasso is the highest-grossing artist at auction to date. In 2020 alone, a year that was notoriously detrimental to the global art market, he still managed to accrue $245 million in sales. His life-time grossed value being is in the low billions and continues to steadily climb despite economic slumps and rising inflation rates.

EVER-RISING AUCTION PRICES

The most expensive Picasso painting ever sold in auction is entitled "Les femmes d'Alger (Version 'O')" and was created in 1955. After passing through multiple dealers who were purchasing on behalf of private European collectors, the painting was finally listed at auction at Christie's New York in 2015. It was the piece de resistance that evening at Christie's and it did not disappoint. Shattering the minimum guaranteed price, the hammer finally went down at $179.4 million. It is rumored that it was sold to a member of the Qatari royal family and that it will remain in this private collection. It is to date the most expensive Picasso painting ever sold.

PICASSO AND HIS WOMEN, A PROBLEMATIC AFFAIR

In the wake of the #metoo movement, many people have begun to look back at the men we call innovators, heroes, geniuses, pioneers and legends. We look back at them through a new lens, one that calls into question their actions and judges them according to today's standards of conduct. We ask ourselves, would this individual be allowed to act in the same way today as they did during their lifetime? The answer is often a resounding "no". While no one seems to have called for the cancelling of Pablo Picasso, the more we know about his relationship with the women in his life, the harder it becomes to view him with rose-coloured glasses.

Should we separate the man from the art? As a society, do we allow Pablo Picasso's legacy this luxury? It is an on-going and difficult debate. When drawing parallels between his body of work and the written documentation and testimonies of those in Picasso's inner circle, there is a common thread of toxic masculinity and misogyny. For example, Picasso, a notorious womanizer, often preferred to paint his women or partners in states of sadness or despair. The women are crying, humiliated and broken, as can be seen in his portrait of Dora Maar, entitled Weeping Woman.

Picasso is quoted having once said to his last mistress, Françoise Gilot, “For me there are only two kinds of women: goddesses and doormats.” Furthermore, she wrote that he thought of women as "machines for suffering". Despite what can be seen in his adorning portraits of Maya, his daughter with mistress and artist, Marie-Thérèse Walter, it seems that he was in fact, not the proud father and caring grandfather that he thought himself to be. It is now that we must ask ourselves, do we continue to separate the artist from his art? The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Picasso, whose parents were often depicted as babies in his familial portraits, seem to have disconnected their family from the subjects in the art itself. In the same way that they do not identify their mothers in Picasso's portrayals, many have chosen to not recognize the streaks of misogyny and sexism in Picasso's art, rather letting his works evoke the despair of the situation, rather than that of the subject herself. Nonetheless, Picasso's female portraits are a constant in the art market, always shattering records and driving his auction prices up. They are coveted for their pictorial and conceptual complexity.

SOUGHT AFTER WOMAN MUSES AND FEMALE PORTRAITS

Some of the most famous Picasso paintings are portraits of the women in his life. From Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Jacqueline Roque and Françoise Gilot, he depicted many of these women in his portrait paintings, executed in various fashions and formats. Some were depicted kindly, others were grotesque and broken. As can be seen in his famous lithograph, Female Bust with a Red Hat, the portrait is less than flattering, with all of the subject's facial features turned towards the viewer. Nonetheless, these female portait paintings have always secured high prices in and out of auctions. For example, his painting, Femme assise près d'une fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse), created in 1932 is exemplary of his Cubist style. It absolutely shattered its pre-sale auction estimate of $55 million in 2020 as the hammer finally went down at an eye-watering price of $103.4 million. Similarly, his work Buste de femme (Femme à la résille), from 1938 is a small work in bright primary colors with an almost violent red background that depicts the Surrealist photographer, Dora Maar. Despite its unimpressive dimensions, it went for $67.4 million in auction in May 2015, surpassing its $55 million pre-sale estimate.

COLLECT RARE PABLO PICASSO ART

Unless you are part of the 1% of the top 1% most wealthy people in the world, you will unfortunately never be able to own an original Picasso painting. But do not fret, there is an accessible solution for those wishing to add a Picasso artwork to their collection while on a budget. This can be done through the acquisition of limited-edition Picasso lithographs and Picasso prints. Below, you can find all of the answers to your questions in regards to Pablo Picasso print and lithograph collecting.

When did Picasso produce limited-edition lithographs?

Beyond his pictorial works, Picasso explored lithography with exceptional mastery. His lithographs offer intimate access to his creative process, revealing lesser-known aspects of his work. Picasso practiced the art of lithography throughout his entire career. Beginning at the ripe age of 19, all the way through the early 70's, he developed, tested, and experimented with prints and lithographs.

Are Picasso prints a safe investment?

In short, absolutely, yes. There has always been a strong market for the buying and selling of Picasso lithographs and prints. As a rule of thumb for any artist, if the hammer prices of their paintings in auction continues to rise, the market for their limited-edition print work will follow. As for Picasso, his limited-edition lithographs and prints have weathered the highs and lows of the art market for the past five decades.

Where can I find a limited-edition Picasso print or lithograph?

You can explore Pablo Picasso's original limited edition lithographs on Rise Art. Here you will find a unique collection of the master's works that will enable you to take home a piece of the extraordinary legacy of Pablo Picasso, one of the pioneers of Cubism.