From his earliest years Pablo Picasso was a passionate student of the European painting tradition. His memory for images was voracious, and he amassed an art collection of his own. This book showcases the technical dexterity, independence and vitality of Picasso's creative processes.

This paperback edition is superb value - a lavishly illustrated record of a popular exhibition but also an excellent, accessible introduction to the twentieth-century's most important artist. From his earliest years Pablo Picasso was a passionate student of the European painting tradition. His memory for images was voracious, and he amassed an art collection of his own. Naturally he was drawn to the Spanish masters Velazquez and Goya but also important to him were such figures as Rembrandt, Delacroix, Ingres, Manet and Cezanne. Picasso repeatedly pitted himself against these masters, taking up their signature themes, techniques and artistic concerns in audacious paintings of his own. Sometimes his 'quotations' were direct, other times highly allusive. Always, Picasso made the implicit case that it was he in the twentieth century who most forcefully reinvigorated the European tradition. This book showcases the technical dexterity, independence and vitality of Picasso's creative processes, for here we witness the daring transformation of the art of the past into, in Picasso's own words, 'something else entirely'.

Elizabeth Cowling is Professor Emeritus of History of Art at Edinburgh University. Neil Cox is Professor of Art and Theory at the University of Essex. Simonetta Fraquelli is an independent art historian. Susan Grace Galassi is Curator at the Frick Collection, New York. Christopher Riopelle is Curator and Anne Robbins is Assistant Curator of Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, London.