Picasso underwent surgery for a prostate condition in 1965, and the surgery is rumored to have left him largely impotent--if true, a serious handicap for a man to whom sexual adventure was such an important part of life. He seems to have increased his artistic output during this period, and some have suggested that this was his way of dealing with the condition.

Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973, at the age of 92, in his home, Notre-Dame-de-Vie in Mougin, France. He was interred at Castle Vauvenargues' park, in Vauvenargues, Bouches-du-Rhône.

The first word Picasso ever spoke was "piz," short of lápiz the Spanish word for pencil.

Beginning in 1907, Picasso began to experiment with Cézanne's techniques alongside fellow artist Georges Braque. Cézanne was a constant touchstone for the two artists during this period of collaboration, which eventually resulted in the invention of Cubism. In 1943, Picasso would declare to photographer George Brassaï that Cézanne was "my one and only master."

Gertrude Stein became Picasso's principal patron, acquiring his drawings and paintings and exhibiting them in her informal Salon at her home in Paris. At one of her gatherings in 1905, he met Henri Matisse, who was to become a lifelong friend and rival.

At the tender age of 9, Picasso completed his first painting: Le picador, a man riding a horse in a bullfight.

During World War II, Picasso remained in Paris when the Germans occupied the city, but his artistic style didn't fit the Nazi ideal of art, so he did not exhibit during this time. He was often harassed by the Gestapo. During one search of his apartment, an officer saw a photograph of the painting Guernica. "Did you do that?" the German asked Picasso. "No," he replied, "You did".

The harlequin, a comedic character usually depicted in checkered patterned clothing, became a personal symbol for Picasso and appeared in many of his paintings.

Picasso made a few film appearances, always as himself, including a cameo in Cocteau's Testament of Orpheus.

Pablo Picasso designed the original costumes and sets for Stravinsky's ballet Pulcinella which premiered at the Paris Opera on May 15, 1920.