Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was one of the most important artists of the 20^th century and produced a breathtakingly broad body of work. Imaginative and experimental, he turned his hand to almost every medium: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and stage decoration. The stylistic variability of his work is fascinating, as is the way it fits into his life story. Ina Conzen traces Picasso’s life and work, looking in particular at the way the artist was strategically portrayed by himself and those close to him as a creative genius.