Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia was a native French avant-garde painter, poet, and typographist. Involved with the Impressionist and Pointillist movements, Picabia also dabbled in Cubist art. His pieces were abstract and featured rich colored contrast. Often referred to as “Papa Dada,” Francis Picabia was one of the principle figures of the Dada movement in both Paris and New York. Through Picabia’s talent and work, he left his enduring mark on our world’s artistic audience.
Francis Picabia was born in Paris to a French mother and a Cuban father. Both of which were from affluent European families. Having the means to live well, Picabia was able to travel, study, and learn in an expensive fashion (Calte). At the age of seven, Francis lost his mother Marie to tuberculosis. Later that year, he lost his grandmother. The loss of both these women caused his childhood to be a lonely one, dominated and regulated by the masculine figures in his life. His father, who was the chancellor to the Cuban embassy. His uncle, who was the curator of the Bibliothèque Sante Geneviève, and his grandfather who was a wealthy and established businessman. Their house became known as “Chez Quatre sans Femmes,” which translates to: “The house of four
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In this show, he presented 61 pieces of landscape art and earned significant credibility. Now, widely popular in the art scene, Picabia started showing in Paris, London, and Berlin. After this run of fame, he abandoned the Impressionist methods that made him famous and transitioned to practice the avant-garde styles he became so famous for. This broke his relationship with the Galerie Hausmann. In the same year, he was married Gabrielle Buffet. She inspired him with her musical ability and Picabia made the connection that all art was related to all art. This realization nurtured his more avant-garde styles and developed him further as an artist.