PICASSO

By the late 1940s Pablo Picasso was convinced he could turn lead into gold, and he was right: He bought things (houses included) with pictures instead of money, and people fought over his merest tablecloth doodle. His transformation into history’s only successful alchemist had an amazing effect. He responded with the jubilant bravado of a drunk on the high wire, attempting artistic feats that no sober person would dare, bobbing and weaving and leaving us in the end with the unforgettable sensation of danger, boldness, craziness, superhuman grace.