Pablo Picasso: "Woman with pompom hat and a printed blouse" (1962), 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 (October 25, 1881, Malaga – April 8, 1973, Mougins) spent his entire life searching for new artistic means of expression. He consistently combined seemingly endless inventiveness with the courage to embrace radical innovation. With unparalleled versatility, his work presents modern art in ever-new forms: vibrant, multifaceted, and inspiring. Picasso's art always remained representational: women, harlequins, flamenco guitars, doves of peace and black bulls: whatever his eye captured - it is and remains imbued with Picasso's irresistible charisma.