Early life Steve "Pablo" Davis

davis raised english father , sephardic spanish jewish mother immigrant parents in philadelphia. mother had wanted name him pablo, father wanted name him after deceased uncle in england, percival. elder sister explained boy tormented @ time in country if named percival, parents compromised paul —or mother thought. worked coal miner @ age 14 until became involved in violent strike. when appearing before judge riot involvement, paul learned father had secretly created legal birth certificate name percival. obviously, not knowing name , resenting father s deception, never went percival. after strike saw ad in paper noting diego rivera begin work on mural @ detroit art museum. rode rails detroit purpose of meeting artist. upon arriving in detroit, asked train yard workers museum was, none knew. when found it, guards not permit entry woman came out sat on front steps , said, lost best friend. explained deep desire meet great artist, , woman frida kahlo, took him museum , introduced two. diego rivera examined of pablo s artistry , allowed him assist in layering of rivera s fresco mural still on view in museum. pablo lived diego rivera , frida kahlo months while in detroit. when spanish civil war broke, partially out of loyalty spanish mother, went fight – not knowing later considered crime own country because america had not yet officially named fascism crime. served in american volunteer abraham lincoln brigade during spanish civil war.

between work rivera , volunteer fighting in spanish civil war, curiosity of pablo picasso aroused. when davis injured , recovering, picasso came visit , asked him come stay him. after, u.s. government officials came visit him well, telling him upon recovery returned u.s. soil stand charges premature antifascism .

davis claimed , house unamerican activities committee lawyer richard nixon squared off in shouting match when called testify before committee. davis stated changed name in 1950s after being arrested serving president of communist party in america, perceived artists , intellectuals means develop true equality. can verified in denver, colorado, newspaper of time, including photograph of him sitting behind bars.

born paul kleinbord, attended high school in philadelphia, along irvin penn. (the 2 remained in contact until penn s death.) after graduation went on attend art school period of time, in philadelphia. married second time , wife gave birth son, first wife having been, in words, stunning beauty after marriage discovered hermaphroditic. first wife sought divorce pablo s sake. during 1930s , 1940s living in philadelphia , didn t leave significant period of time. 1945 sent sanatorium in denver, co because had contracted tuberculosis. remained in denver until 1950s when arrived in detroit third wife.

he lived in ann arbor period of time, moved detroit. continued wear wedding rings marriages on ring finger.