When considering the many styles that Picabia painted in, observers have described his career as "shape-shifting" [ 2 ] or "kaleidoscopic". His highly abstract planar compositions were colourful and rich in contrasts. He was one of the early major figures of the Dada movement in the United States and in France before denouncing it in Some sources would have his father as of aristocratic Spanish descent, whereas others consider him of non-aristocratic Spanish descent, from the region of Galicia.
The family ties to Cuba would be important in Picabia's life later on. The family was affluent, and both parents encouraged Picabia to pursue an art career.
Picabia's artistic ability was apparent from his youth. In , he copied a collection of Spanish paintings that belonged to his grandfather, switching the copies for the originals and selling the originals to finance his stamp collection. Subsequently, he inherited money from his mother, leaving him far wealthier than most of his contemporaries in the art world. He began buying at least one new sports car each year, [ 2 ] and ultimately owned over the course of his life.
Early in his career, from to , Picabia was influenced by the Impressionist paintings of Alfred Sisley. His subject matter included small churches, lanes, roofs of Paris, riverbanks, wash houses, and barges. This led critics to question his originality, saying that he copied Sisley, that his cathedrals looked like Monet cathedrals, or that he painted like Signac.
From , his style changed as he came under the influence of a group of artists soon to be called Cubists. These artists would later form the Golden Section Section d'Or. The same year, Picabia married Gabrielle Buffet.
