He is considered one of the 20th century's most significant artists. And now the art community has come together to celebrate Pablo Picasso.

For the next 12 months, there are events and exhibitions planned around the world that will lead up to the fiftieth anniversary of his death next year.

It all starts in Madrid at the MAPFRE Institute.

Picasso’s Lasting Legacy

They have organised an impressive collection, that includes some of Picasso's finest sculptures, work that was influenced with collaborations and time spent with lifelong friend Julio Gonzalez

This is the first of no less than 40 institutions across Europe and the United States which aim to mark his legacy.

Nadia Arroyo is Director of Culture for the MAPFRE Foundation.

She told CGTN Europe that Picasso’s legacy continued to have an impact 50 years after his death.

"I would say he is so influential because we can find different artists in only one artist. Such as the period of modernists in Barcelona with the Blue Period. He created Cubism, which is one of the most important movements of the 20th Century that changed the conception of the art," she said.

One of Picasso's most famous works ‘Guernica’ can be found just down the road from the MAPFRE Institute at Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

Painted during the Spanish civil war it is regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war paintings ever created. Picasso’s work showed cruelty, violence, and passion - he was the very epitome of a 20th-century modern artist.

Rivalry with Matisse

Picasso spent a large part of his life in France. In addition to his paintings, he made drawings, was also a printmaker, and worked in theatre design.

His rivalry with French artist Henri Matisse pushed him to explore more radical creative styles. Picasso moved through many different periods of work.

An exhibition in 1940 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York was a pivotal moment in his career and brought his work to a global audience.

The institution will also celebrate his work this year.

Anne Umland is Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture there and told CGTN Europe that Picasso’s work always had the ability to surprise.

"I have found throughout my career that any time you go back to Picasso you always discover something new. And we were thrilled to have the opportunity and impetus provided by the Picasso celebrations, the 50th year anniversary. To think about what a compelling exhibition of his work."

Picasso’s influence on the art world is still huge.

It's hoped that a new generation of admirers and fans from all over the world will enjoy his work – half a century after his death.