Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

He's sometimes called an outsider artist because of the rugged, homemade style of his output, but his institutional credentials are as elite as they come.

He attended Cornell University, and after two years in the Air Force during the Korean War, he studied in Spain at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, the alma mater of both Picasso and Dali.

His illustration style brings to mind the ink splashing of Stephen Gemell or Ralph Steadman, and his canvases are often thick with paint-abstracted landscapes or contorted, non-realistic figures.

Most remarkable are his large sculptures that bring to mind the spiders of Louise Bourgeois or the assemblage work of Thornton Dial.

By depicting this Catholic rite of passage, Pablo marked his own symbolic transition from childhood to adulthood, from student to future maestro.

In the autumn of 1897, Pablo left Barcelona to study at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid.

This was a great opportunity, but he disliked their stuffy curriculum and preferred to spend hours at the Prado Museum admiring the masters.

His poor attendance record angered Don José, who decided to cut Pablo's allowance.