I found a gorgeous picture book today at a used bookstore that features Picasso's homes (and proud of the fact that I scooped it up for $25 instead of the $175 listed on Amazon). I am not a big fan of Picasso's work but I am intrigued by Picasso the artist:
That his level of popularity also had an influence on the prices of his pictures was of relatively little concern to him. He earned enough anyway. He was creative because he had an abundance of ideas and they would not let him go until they had been captured on canvas. It was long ago that he had worked in order to earn money. Picasso did not know how many times over he was a millionaire. For the administration of the accounts he had his secretaries. And he had his lawyers. Picasso knew that his works were highly prized. The prices of the pictures were an expression of this appreciation. 'But who can eat fifty times a day?' he asked. It was clear to him that he had a very good life and could afford anything - although he did not have any material desires. Time was all he wanted, endless amounts of time, more than one life can offer. Best of all as much time as necessary to complete a work that would always remain under development and would never come to an end. 'One day I will die due to the the fact that I don't die,' he once said.
- Picasso's Homes, Helge Sobik