Pablo Picasso: "Frauenbüste with Hut (Dora)" (1939), limited reproduction on letters

"Painting is stronger than I am; it forces me to do what it wants." (Pablo Picasso) At the age of 12, he could already paint like Raphael; by 20, no university professor could impart any further profound insights into art to him. When Pablo Picasso died at the biblical age of 91, he left the world a body of work comprising over 40,000 pieces—and the certainty of having been the most important artist of the 20th century. Pablo Ruiz Picasso drew inspiration for new works of art from every material and every technique: wax crayons, oil on canvas, silk, sculptures, ceramics—the great Spaniard's versatility was overwhelming. Picasso's fellow artist Max Ernst once remarked: "...No one can compete with him; he is a genius." This judgment by the great Surrealist underscores the unique rank that Picasso occupies in the art history of the 20th century.