“Picasso was abusive to women, like Harvey Weinstein.” 50th anniversary of the death of a brilliant tormentor

Pablo Picasso is undoubtedly one of the greatest artists of all time. April 8 marks the 50th anniversary of his death. The art of this outstanding artist, born in Malaga, evokes great emotions and inspires subsequent generations of artists. His life, however, raises a lot of controversy. Women were his great inspiration and often appeared on his canvases. What was his relationship really like? Wives, muses and mistresses, or perhaps victims?

Pablo Picasso had one pattern of action when it came to women. At first he idealized them, treated them like goddesses. After time, when they lost in his eyes, they became worth nothing to him.

I would accuse Picasso of being manipulative, of having sadistic tendencies, and of taking some kind of pleasure in torturing women by making promises and vows of love to them, even if they weren’t sincere.

said Ann-Katrin Hahn, curator at the Picasso Museum in Munster.

Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist, summed up Picasso’s behavior towards women in harsh words

The Icelandic-Danish artist, one of the most famous artists in the world of art today, a few years ago had the opportunity to exhibit his works in Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. His exhibition in real life previously presented in Tate Modern in London. In connection with the exhibition, the artist gave an interview for Spanish El Paisin which he criticized and questioned the legend of the great master.

I think it is necessary to rethink not only our view of Picasso, but also his authority. You also have to take a more feminist point of view, patriarchy is too deeply rooted in culture and society (…) And Picasso was abusive towards women, like Harvey Weinstein of his time, and whose behavior was considered acceptable at the time.

commented Eliasson. In an interview, the artist compared Picasso to Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence for sexual offences.

Pablo Picasso had complicated relationships with many women in his life. He divided them into two categories

Picasso usually had romantic relationships with several women at the same time. He was married twice and had many mistresses. Sex, love and art were closely related in his world. And while many see this as his artistic identity, it’s not hard to deny that the women in his life were abused by him. When they lost value in his eyes, he abandoned them.

Sophie Chauveau, the author of the painter’s biography, in an interview for Le Figaro from 2018 said:

He hated women so much that he would beat them and lock them up.

Picasso himself once expressed his attitude towards women explicitly, saying:

There are only two kinds of women – goddesses and doormats.

Women loved him unconsciously, and Picasso destroyed and abandoned them

Two of his beloved breakups cost him his life. Marie-Therese Walter hanged herself, and the last of Picasso’s women, Jacqueline Roque, also committed suicide. Others, like Dora Maar, with whom he was over nine years, have gone mad.

He painted them crying, because that’s how they inspired him the most. When he realized that they were not magical characters from his canvases, but people of flesh and blood, he abandoned them.

Francoise Gilot, mother of Picasso’s children Paloma and Claude, in her book My Life with Picasso, she wrote:

He always created artificial competition. He turned friends against each other, one woman against another. He was a master of using one person as a red scarf and another as a bull. When the bull attacked the scarf, Pablo was able to deliver painful blows.

Francoise was the only woman who left Picasso. He never forgave her, and in retaliation, he refused to acknowledge paternity of their children for years.

Pablo Picasso’s career spanned more than 78 years. The artist created over 13.5 thousand. images, 100,000 sketches and drawings, and 34,000 illustrations, 300 sculptures and ceramic products. Looking at the works of Picasso, apart from appreciating the artistry of painting, it is worth remembering the history of broken hearts and lives, that these canvases carry within them.

Sources: sjo.pwr.edu.pl, Art Girls Jungle. “Picasso’s Babies: 6 Muses the Artist Was Madly in Love With.”, “The Art Gorgeous” August 6, 2016. Mark Hudson, “Pablo Picasso: women are either goddesses or doormats.” The Telegraph, April 8, 2016, vwart.com, My Life with Picasso by Francoise Gilot