This fascinating book focuses exclusively on the pivotal yet unfamiliar early years of Picasso's career in Barcelona (1899-1904). Many of the pictures first exhibited at the seminal Els 4 Gats exhibition are here reproduced in color for the first time, as are other examples of his early drawings and paintings. Insightful essays also discuss other artists who frequented Els 4 Gats, many of whom were significant influences on Picasso's early life and career. This book served as the catalog for an important exhibition at the Pablo Picasso Museum in Barcelona in 1995-96.