Francis Picabia

Born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia in January 1879, he moved through Impressionism and Pointillism before landing on Cubism, where his abstract planar works stood out for their color and contrast. He became a major early figure in Dada on both sides of the Atlantic, publishing, writing, making films, and designing type alongside the paintings. In 1921 he denounced Dada outright. A brief Surrealist phase followed, then he turned his back on the art establishment entirely. He died in November 1953, having refused allegiance to any single movement long enough for it to define him.