Pablo Picasso: "Head of a Reading Woman", reproduction, Giclée on paper

"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. His imagery is a constant reflection of his own life. His partners and children, as well as bullfighting, for which he was passionate throughout his life, represent the main themes in his monumental oeuvre. Picasso portrayed himself in numerous variations, but also depicted historical painters such as Degas, Manet, and Toulouse-Lautrec at their easels.