Cubism

What happened

Around 1907, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque shattered the single, fixed viewpoint that had governed Western painting since the Renaissance. In Cubism they broke objects into geometric facets and showed several viewpoints at once, beginning with Picasso's radical 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.'

Why it matters

Cubism was one of the most influential movements of modern art, overturning centuries of perspective and opening the door to pure abstraction.

Sources

• Tate. Cubism · Reputable source