Les femmes de Picasso

Women in Picasso’s Life and Art

Les femmes de Pablo Picasso - The women of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

1904-1912 Fernande Olivier (1881-1966)

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).

1912-1915 Marcelle Humbert (Eva Gouel 1885-1915)

Fernande left Picasso in 1912, months after Picasso took an interest in Marcelle Humbert, known as Eva Gouel (1885-1915).

Picasso was devastated by her early death due to tuberculosis or cancer in 1915. Picasso professed his love to Eva by painting "I Love Eva" in some of his paintings. Still, during Eva's sickness Picasso managed a relationship with Gaby Lespinasse.

1917-1927 Olga Khokhlova (1891-1955) First Wife

In 1917 ballerina Olga Khokhlova (1891-1955) met Picasso while the artist was designing the ballet "Parade" in Rome, to be performed by the Ballet Russe. They married in the Russian Orthodox church in Paris in 1918 and lived a life of conflict. She was of high society and enjoyed formal events while Picasso was more bohemian in his interests and pursuits. Their son Paulo (Paul) was born in 1921 (and died in 1975), influencing Picasso's imagery to turn to mother and child themes. Paul's three children are Pablito (1949-1973), Marina (born in 1951), and Bernard (1959).

1927-1936 Marie-Thérèse Walter (1909-1977)

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.

1936-1944 Dora Maar (Henriette Théodora Markovich 1907 -1997)

In 1936 54-year old Picasso met Yugoslavian Dora Maar (1907 -1997), the photographer who documented Picasso's painting of Guernica, the 1937 painting of Picasso's depiction of the German's having bombed the Basque city of Guernica, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. She became Picasso's constant companion and lover from 1936 through April, 1944. Maar went back to painting and exhibited in Paris soon after Picasso left her for Françoise. Picasso referred to Dora as his "private muse". In later years she became a recluse, dying poor and alone.

1943-1953 Françoise Gilot (1921-)

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).

1951-1953 Genevieve Laporte (1927-)

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".

1953-1973 Jacqueline Roque (1926 -1986) Second Wife

Dejected and alone, in 1953 Picasso met Jacqueline Roque (1926 -1986) at the Madoura Pottery where Picasso created his ceramics. In 1961 (when Picasso was 79) she became his second wife. Picasso created more works of art based on Jacqueline than any of his other loves, in one year painting over 70 portraits of her.

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.

1954 Sylvette David (Lydia Corbett)