Einstein and Picasso:
The art of science and the science of art

4 October 2011

Theory Conference Room
Building 4-3-006
CERN
Geneva
Switzerland

Abstract:
Almost simultaneously, in the first decade of the 20th century Albert Einstein discovered relativity and Pablo Picasso cubism. How – and why? This fascinating story involves their often turbulent personal lives; the high drama of their struggles to achieve new ideas in the face of opposition from contemporaries; and the unlikely sources for their
creative leaps, ignored by everyone else.

To fully understand what happened involves coming to grips with wide-ranging questions such as: Are there similarities in creativity between artists and scientists? What do artists and scientists mean by ‘aesthetics’ and ‘beauty’? Can we unravel creativity at its highest level?