González, Julio, 1876-1942, Spanish sculptor. The son of a goldsmith and sculptor, González went to Paris in 1900. There he met Picasso and taught him techniques of iron welding and was in turn influenced by certain of Picasso's cubist ideas. Executed with ingenuity, González's semiabstract sculptures (e.g., Hombre-Cactus, 1939-40) are often free interpretations of the human figure. They distinguish him as one of the outstanding sculptors of the 20th cent. Some of his work is in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.