Matias Palau Y Ferre studied at the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of San Jorge, Barcelona and moved to Paris in 1957 where he was one of Pablo Picasso's disciples. He started with some cubist-inspired works on oil canvases. Over the years he also made some ceramics and some sculptures.

After rising to fame in Spain, he held exhibitions in various foreign countries, including France, the UK, and the US. His most important works are Woman and Moon, Montblanch and Guer-Blanc.

Palau Ferré achieved notoriety due to his sudden mood swings that led him to burn his oil paintings in 1974 after a complaint he had with a gallery owner. As a protest against what he defined as "prostitution of art", he continued to sys...