Artist Info: Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (1881-1973) is recognized as one of art's great geniuses. Few artists in history have matched his stature and impact. The son of an art teacher, he gave evidence of his talents early in life. He was born in Malaga, lived for some years in Barcelona, and in 1901 moved to Paris where an exhibition of his work was held by Ambroise Vollard, an art dealer. Vollard's appreciation of Picasso's talents and his business acumen were key elements in Picasso's rise to success. The years 1901-1904 marked the artist's Blue Period, in which he depicted grim social conditions. His Rose Period followed briefly, and in 1908 Picasso and Georges Braque began to develop Cubism. Picasso experimented with collages and portraiture before entering, in the 1920's, what is known as his metamorphic phase, extending classical forms through his own visions. Expressionistic art was reflected in his major work Guernica, which was exhibited in 1893 at the Spanish Pavilion of the Paris World's Exhibition.