Final answer:
Pablo Picasso was influenced by African art and studied masks at the local ethnographic museums. He incorporated this influence in his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, with two figures wearing African masks. Picasso's interest in African art grew after visiting an ethnographic museum in Paris.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pablo Picasso was influenced by African art and the angular planes and contours of the statuary and masks he studied at the local ethnographic museums. This influence is reflected in his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, where the two figures on the far right wear faces based on African masks. Picasso's interest in African art began after visiting the Palais du Trocadéro, Paris's ethnographic museum, where he understood the value of such art. African art had been brought to Paris due to France's colonization of African countries, and Picasso's interest initially came from perceiving the alien and aggressive qualities of the art.