One of the pioneers of cubism, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) rejected established artistic conventions and championed new forms of expression. Even Picasso, however, was not immune to the charms—and horrors—of antiquity. Throughout his prolific career, the Spanish artist created a surprising number of works devoted to subjects from ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Fascinated by bacchanalian scenes, he painted dozens of studies of carousing nymphs and satyrs. In the 1950s, he experimented briefly with ceramics, creating several striking vases and urns decorated with characters such as Orpheus and the Greek god Pan. A decade later he produced four dramatic anti-war […]
