Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso, formally Pablo Ruiz Picasso, (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century art. Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain, and is probably most famous as the founder, along with Georges Braque, of Cubism. However in a long life he produced a wide and varied body of work, the best-known being the Blue Period works which feature moving depictions of acrobats, harlequins, prostitutes, beggars and artists. With his most extreme cubist works he came close to deconstructing a complex scene into just a few geometric shapes.
Picasso's most famous work is probably his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica, Spain. In 1992 the painting became one of the main attractions in Madrid's Museo de La Reina SofÃa (Queen SofÃa's Museum) when it opened. Several paintings by Picasso rank among the most expensive paintings in the world.
On May 4, 2004 Picasso's painting Garcon a` la Pipe was sold for USD $104 million at Sotheby's, thus establishing a new price record.