How old was Picasso when he painted this?

Picasso was only 15 years old when he completed Science and Charity in 1897. It demonstrates his extraordinary technical ability at a young age.

Where can I see Science and Charity?

The work displayed at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, Spain, which holds the most complete collection of Picasso's early work.

Who posed as the doctor?

Picasso's father, José Ruiz Blasco, posed as the doctor. His father was an art teacher who encouraged and trained the young Picasso.

Where Is Science and Charity? See It at This Museum

Pablo Picasso completed this large academic work in 1897 when he was just 15 years old. The composition shows a sick woman in bed, attended by a doctor taking her pulse and a nun holding a child and offering a drink. The painting won honorable mention at the National Fine Arts Exhibition in Madrid.

Picasso's father, an art teacher, posed as the doctor in this painting, and the artist hired models for the other figures. The subject of illness and death reflects the loss of Picasso's younger sister Conchita to diphtheria three years earlier. While stylistically conventional, the work demonstrates the notable technical skill Picasso possessed even as a teenager. The painting belongs to the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.