Francis
Picabia

Francis Picabia (Francisco Maria della Torre Martinez Picabia, 22 January 1879, Paris, France – 30 Nov 1953, Paris, France) French avant-garde painter and poet, one of the most famous representatives of Dadaism, who was called the "Daddy of Dada". Picabia was born into a very wealthy family that allowed him a lifetime to travel, learn and enjoy a life of luxury without worrying about earnings. He studied painting at the National school of fine arts, then worked for several years in the Studio of his teacher Fernand Cormon. In the early years Picabia wrote mostly watercolors. His first solo exhibition was held in 1905 and brought the artist great popularity. In search of his own style, Picabia experimented with Fauvism, cubism and abstract painting. With the beginning of the First World war, he went from France – first to Barcelona, then to new York and to the Caribbean. In the United States for the first time, Picabia presents to the public their "mechanology". In the period when he absented himself to the Dadaists, the artist almost stopped painting and devoted himself to writing. During World war II Picabia had to lead a rather modest life, as the main source of income was the sale of paintings. Throughout his life the artist continued to experiment with painting styles.

Features of the artist Francis Picabiain the early twentieth century, he, like many other artists, was inspired by the ever-changing modern world and technological progress. Special influence on his work had machines and mechanisms. He later became one of the Central figures of the Dadaist movement. Picabia used the text in his paintings and collages. In the mid 20-ies the artist returned to figurative painting.

The famous painting by Francis Picabia: "The rare picture on the Earth", "The machine rotates quickly", "Hello".

Author: Eugene Sidelnikov