| 1881 | 25 October: birth of Pablo Ruiz Picasso in Málaga, son of a painter and art teacher |
| 1895 | Family moves to Barcelona: Picasso attends advanced classes at School of Fine Arts |
| 1899 | Frequents the bohemian artists' café Els Quatre Gats |
| 1901-04 | Picasso's Blue period. Moves between Barcelona and Paris. Lives in poverty at the 'Bateau Lavoir' in Paris. Paints The Blindman's Meal |
| 1904 | Beginning of Picasso's Rose period. Meets Fermande Olivier, his mistress for the next seven years |
| 1906 | Meets Matisse. Death of Cézanne |
| 1907 | Paints Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Sees African sculptures at the Trocadéro museum. Meets Georges Braque |
| 1908 | Picasso and Braque 'invent' Cubism |
| 1910 | Analytic Cubism |
| 1911 | Eva Gouel becomes Picasso's mistress |
| 1912 | Picasso's first collage. Transition to Synthetic Cubism |
| 1914-18 |
First world war Death of Eva Gouel |
| 1915 | Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity |
| 1916 | Beginning of Dada movement |
| 1917 | Leaves for Rome to work with the Ballets Russes |
| 1918 | Marries Olga Koklova |
| 1921 | Birth of son Paulo. Figures in paintings become more classical and monumental |
| 1924 | Surrealist Movement founded by André Breton |
| 1927 | Meets seventeen year old Marie-Thérèse Walter; they become lovers six months later |
| 1929 | Salvador Dali visits Picasso |
| 1932 | Marie-Thérèse Walter becomes a frequent model for Picasso |
| 1933 | First issue of the Surrealist magazine Minotaur for which Picasso designs the cover |
| 1935 | A time of anxiety in Picasso's life during which he stops painting and writes poetry. Olga and Paulo move into Hotel California. Marie-Thérèse gives birth to Maya |
| 1936 |
Meets Dora Maar in the company of Surrealists including Paul Eluard and Man Ray. Beginning of intense personal and professional
relationship Outbreak of Spanish Civil War The Popular Front sweep to power in France Picasso appointed honorary director of the Prado |
| 1937 |
26 April: German planes bombard the Basque town of Guernica. Picasso begins sketches for Guernica on May 1. Paints the NGV's Weeping Woman, one of a number of postscripts to Guernica Hitler declares Picasso's art 'degenerate' Guernica displayed at Spanish Pavilion in World Fair, Paris |
| 1939 |
Germany invades Poland. Beginning of Second World War. Dora Maar and Picasso rent an apartment in Antibes from Man Ray |
| 1940 |
Germans occupy Paris 'Angry Penguins' founded by Max Harris |
| 1943 | Picasso meets Francoise Gilot, later his mistress |
| 1944 | Liberation of Paris. Picasso joins the Communist Party. |
| 1945 | End of Second World War |
| 1946 | Visits Matisse in France. Lives with Francoise Gilot |
| 1947 | Birth of Francoise's first child, Claude. Paints ceramics in Vallauris |
| 1949 | Birth of Paloma, daughter of Francoise and Picasso |
| 1950 | Receives Lenin Peace Prize |
| 1953 | Francoise leaves Picasso. He meets Jacqueline Roque |
| 1955 | Buys villa 'La Californie' overlooking Cannes. Lives there with Jacqueline |
| 1959 - 60 | Continues to experiment, working with lino cuts and designing large sheet-metal sculpture |
| 1961 | Marries Jacqueline Roque |
| 1963-73 | Picasso confronts death in paintings from his final decade |
| 1973 | Death of Pablo Picasso - 8th April |
| 1997 | Death of Dora Maar |