PICASSO Pablo. "Sala Gaspar. Serie 347". 1968

He was born in Malaga, on October 25th, 1881, being the first-born son of José Ruiz Blasco, painter, professor at the School of Fine Arts and curator of the Municipal Museum. The father’s influence was essential in the initiation of young Picasso into the art. During some years he lived in A Coruña, Barcelona and Madrid, where he was studying in the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. Last years of XIX and the begging of XX century he realized many travels from Barcelona to Paris and in 1904 he moved to the French capital definitely. 

Picasso's work is often divided into periods. While the names of many of his later periods are debated, the most commonly accepted periods in his work are: the Blue Period (themes of poverty, loneliness, and despair), the Rose Period (pleasant themes such as carnival performers, harlequins, and clowns), African-influenced (paintings that signals the nascent stages of Cubism), Cubism (Analytic Cubism (1910-1912), which techniques were developed by Picasso and George Braque, and Synthetic Cubism (1912-1913) characterized by including new elements such as cloth or grain of wood), Neoclassical Period (mythological images such as centaurs, minotaurs, nymphs, and fauns), Surrealism (pictures of morphed and distorted figures) and Expressionism (expressive qualities of bold colours and gentle curves).

During all his life Picasso developed different graphic techniques, producing a huge number of etchings, engravings and lithographs.      

Pablo Picasso and Gaspar family met in 1955 and from this moment Sala Gaspar transformed into the most important centre of dissemination of Picasso’s art in Spain. All organized exhibitions (in total 10 during 1960’s – 1980’s) had a great success in Barcelona.