32 Interesting Facts About Picasso

Among the ranks of artists, Pablo Picasso shines so brightly that he outshines most other painters. This genius master became so widely famous during his lifetime that art lovers around the world knew his name.

Moreover, painting brought him not only fame but also wealth. Dedicating his life to the craft, Picasso revolutionized the art world and became a benchmark for thousands of other artists.

Facts About Pablo Picasso

1. Italian Heritage: The surname “Picasso” has Italian origins, as the painter had Italian roots on his mother’s side.
2. Full Name: At his christening, the newborn was given an impressive full name: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso.
3. Surname Choice: His full surname was a combination of his mother’s and father’s names, Ruiz y Picasso, but he became known by the latter, as that was how he usually signed his works.
4. Birthplace: Picasso’s birthplace is in Málaga, a city in southern Spain, where his house has been turned into a museum dedicated to him .
5. Near-Miss at Birth: When Picasso was born, doctors thought the baby was stillborn. Fortunately, they were mistaken, but everyone present was quite anxious.
6. Artistic Beginnings: Picasso’s father was an art teacher, and he began teaching the future genius to draw from a very young age.
7. First Word: In Picasso’s biography, there’s an amusing fact—his first word as a child was “pencil,” in Spanish, of course.
8. Early Admission to Art School: At 14, Pablo Picasso was admitted to the School of Fine Arts. Initially, they didn’t want to accept him because he was too young, but he was given a chance and passed the entrance exams brilliantly.
9. Initial Signature: Picasso initially signed his early works with his father’s full surname—Ruiz Blasco.
10. First Exhibitions: His first two solo exhibitions were held in 1900 in Barcelona, when he was only 19 years old .
11. Abandoning Education: He eventually dropped out of the School of Fine Arts, defying his parents’ wishes, and moved to France.
12. Childhood Stories: As a child, Picasso’s mother would read him bedtime stories, which she would make up on the spot.
13. Tragic Friendship: His close friend, Carlos Casagemas, committed suicide at a young age. This event deeply affected Picasso and left a mark on his later work, with Carlos appearing as a character in some of his paintings.
14. Struggling Artist: In France, Picasso initially lived in a special hostel for impoverished artists.
15. Inventing Cubism: He is credited with inventing the art genre known as Cubism.
16. First Painting: Picasso painted his first picture (not a drawing) when he was just nine years old.
17. Prolific Artist: Over his lifetime, Picasso created more than 20,000 artworks.
18. Struggling in Paris: In the early days after moving to Paris, an expensive city, Picasso had no money. At one point, he even had to burn his own paintings for warmth during a cold winter .
19. Unusual Model Search: Picasso often sought out models in hospitals, in a rather peculiar way—he would disguise himself as a doctor and wander through hospitals looking at patients. He was drawn to emaciated and sickly faces.
20. Jealousy Issues: Picasso was notoriously jealous. As a young artist, when he dated a girl, he would lock her up at home when he went out.
21. Most Expensive Painting: Picasso created the most expensive painting ever sold. One of his works fetched $179 million at auction.
22. Damaged Masterpiece: His painting “Le Rêve,” priced at $149 million, was damaged by its owner during a presentation. Despite being upset, the owner decided to restore the painting and reconsidered selling it.
23. First Marriage: Picasso’s first wife was Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova.
24. Commercial Success: Altogether, the total value of Picasso’s sold paintings exceeds $260 million.
25. Never Divorced: Although Picasso and his wife did not live together for long, they never officially divorced.
26. Numerous Affairs: Picasso was popular with women and had numerous lovers. His last lover was 45 years younger than him.
27. Most Commercially Successful Artist: Picasso is considered the most commercially successful artist in history.
28. Literary Interests: One of Picasso’s hobbies was writing—he wrote both prose and poetry. However, his artistic talent, not his literary work, brought him fame.
29. Enormous Estate: The real estate inherited by his heirs was valued at $1.5 billion. This figure does not include the value of his paintings. Impressive!
30. Most Stolen Artist: Picasso’s paintings have been stolen from museums more frequently than those of any other artist. However, the most stolen painting remains Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” .
31. Prolific Illustrator: Picasso was also an illustrator. His services were expensive, but in high demand. Throughout his life, he created more than 34,000 illustrations for books and magazines.
32. Atheist: Picasso was not religious and always referred to himself as an atheist.