Pablo Picasso, in front of his painting The Aficionado, 1912
His name is synonymous with 20th-century art, and art historian Nancy G. Heller will remind you why. A bona fide child prodigy, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) grew up to become a co-creator of Cubism, one of art's most explosively influential avant-garde movements. But that was just the beginning.
For the next six and a half decades Picasso was a wildly successful, prolific, and controversial painter, sculptor, draftsman, printmaker, and theatrical designer. His grand passions—for women and art—led to a torturous personal life and an enormous body of work celebrated (and criticized) through countless exhibitions and awards, plus an ever-growing bibliography.
Picasso still looms large in our world. This year's 50th anniversary of his death is being marked by major exhibitions in both Europe and the U.S. Focusing on lavish images of the artist's works, Heller discusses Picasso's relationship to both earlier and later art history, the sociopolitical and cultural contexts in which his work was produced, and Picasso's current place in popular culture.
Heller is a professor emerita at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit*
Recommended Program: If you are interested in this program, we recommend you consider registering for Picasso's War: How Modern Art Came to America, an online program on Wednesday, December 13.
General Information
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
