The
Women of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) |
Most of the art displayed
in the Saper Galleries exhibition of original graphics
and ceramics revolves around Picasso's relations with
his various mistresses and wives, sometimes overlapping,
sometimes, private, and sometimes public. It has been
said that Picasso changed his companions as often as he
changed painting styles. Many of his portraits are of
his wives, mistresses and children. Picasso had two wives (Olga and Jacqueline) and four children by three women. I have assembled this summary below to provide you a better understanding of eight of Picasso's major relationships. If you would like to own an original Picasso consider what we display here. Saper Galleries ships anywhere in the world. We are honored to have been recognized by Decor Magazine in 2007 as the top gallery based on our Picasso exhibition from 2006. I hope you enjoy this summary I prepared of the women of Pablo Picasso! ~ Roy Saper, East
Lansing, Michigan, USA
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1904-1912
Artist
model
Fernande Olivier
(1881-1966)
was Picasso's first long term relation and subject of
many of Picasso's Rose Period paintings (1905-07).
Picasso met her after settling in Paris in 1904.
Although Fernande was married, she stayed with Picasso
for 7 years. Fernande modeled for other artists
between 1900 and 1905 after which she moved in with "the
Spanish artist", Picasso, who then
prevented her from modeling for others. Fernande's
having published selections from the memoirs of her
life with Picasso infuriated the artist but
eventually, at age 70, Picasso paid the ailing and
bedridden Fernande a small pension. The full memoir
was not published until 1988, "Loving Picasso".
In early 2004 the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
had an exhibition of 60 portraits of Fernande that
Picasso painted in a few months of 1909. |
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1912-1915 |
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1917-1927 |
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In
1927 Picasso met Marie-Thérèse
Walter (1909-1977), a 17 year old who Picasso then
lived with in a flat across the street from his
marital home (while still married to Olga).
Marie-Thérèse and Picasso had a
daughter, Maya (Maria de la
Concepcion) on October 5,
1935. (Picasso and Olga later
separated although they remained married so Olga would
not receive half of Picasso's wealth -- until she died
in 1955.) Picasso's relation with Marie was kept
from Olga until Olga was told of Marie's pregnancy.
Marie understandably became jealous when Picasso
started to fall in love with Dora Maar in 1936, a year
after Maya was born. It was Marie-Thérèse
who was the inspiration for many of Picasso's famous Vollard Suite
etchings. Marie-Thérèse died by
hanging herself in 1977, four years after Picasso
died. Maya's son, Olivier Widmaier wrote "Picasso: The
Real Family Story" about his artist grandfather, in
2004. |
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1936-1944 |
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In
1943 Picasso (age 62) then kept company with young art
student Françoise
Gilot (born in 1921). Their two children were
Claude (1947)
and Paloma (1949)
who was named for the dove of peace that Picasso
painted in support of the peace movement post World
War II. Gilot, frustrated with Picasso's
relationships with other woman and his abusive nature
left him in 1953. Gilot's book "Life with
Picasso" was published 11 years after their
separation. In 1970 she married American
physician-researcher Jonas Salk (who later died in
1995). |
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1951-1953
In
1944 17-year old Genevieve Laporte
(born in 1927) interviewed Picasso for a
school newspaper. Years later in May,1951
Picasso began an affair with the then-24 year old. The
relationship started when Laporte visited the 70-year
old Picasso at his studio while he was still living
with Françoise
Gilot. That summer of 1951
Picasso took Laporte to St Tropez, leaving Françoise
behind. After declining Picasso's invitation to move
in with him in St. Tropez, she left him in 1953 at the
same time that Françoise
left the artist.In 1972 she went public with the affair and stored the art that Picasso created of her in a safe. In 2005, at age 79, the poet Laporte auctioned 20 drawings of her that Picasso created during their secret affair. Picasso's time with Laporte has been referred to as Picasso's "tender period". |
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1953-1973 When Picasso died on April 8, 1973, Jacqueline, who had been with Picasso for 20 years, prevented Picasso's children Claude and Paloma from attending his funeral. Jacqueline died from shooting herself in 1986. |
Saper Galleries....where excellence is the
standard!
433 Albert
Avenue East Lansing,
Michigan 48823 USA
(517)351-0815