Picasso was born at 23:15 on 25 October 1881, in the city of Málaga, Andalusia, in southern Spain. The medium in which Picasso made his most important contribution was painting. In his paintings, Picasso used colour as an expressive element, but relied on drawing rather than subtleties of colour to create form and space.

He died on 8 April 1973 in Mougins, France, from a heart attack brought on by pulmonary edema. Picasso was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. At his death there were more than 45,000 unsold works in his estate, comprising 1,885 paintings, 1,228 sculptures, 3,222 ceramics, 7,089 drawings, 150 sketchbooks, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs.