A LIFE OF PICASSO

The final chapter of a magisterial biography.

It has been 30 years since Richardson (1924-2019) published his first volume in this grand, highly detailed, and intimate four-volume biography of his close friend. Though this volume ends in 1943, Picasso would go on to create for another three decades. The author’s unique, extensive knowledge and insider information about Picasso—both the man and artist—informs insightful explications of the nuances and symbolism in Picasso’s works; his personal relationships with other artists, writers, and women; and his work habits. By the early 1930s, Picasso’s marriage with Olga was broken, and he was deeply enmeshed with a new, young mistress and model, Marie-Thérèse Walter. That year, he created one of his finest sculptures, Woman With a Lamp (aka Woman With Vase), which graces his gravesite. Richardson believes that sculpture represents Picasso’s long-dead sister, Conchita. The artist’s 1934 Blind Minotaur “commemorates Picasso’s lifelong obsession with his eyesight.” When the surrealists launched a new magazine, Minotaure, Picasso contributed an engraving of a minotaur for the magazine’s cover, thus securing his place within the controversial movement. During lengthy divorce proceedings, he turned to poetry, “painting with words.” Busy juggling multiple mistresses, he settled on a relationship with Dora Maar, “a striking and sophisticated twenty-nine-year-old surrealistic photographer.” During the Spanish Civil War, Richardson notes, Picasso’s works took on a “potent political symbolism” that would inspire one of his greatest paintings, Guernica, which vividly captures his loathing for fascism. He had already done some pieces indicting Franco, but the bombing of the Basque town inspired a massive mural. First exhibited at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris, “Guernica would establish Picasso as the world’s most celebrated modern artist.” Richardson notes that Picasso’s pieces during this period reflect the substantial influence of Vincent van Gogh, “enthroned in his visual memory.” This final, lavishly illustrated volume softly slips away with Richardson continuing to chronicle Picasso obsessively creating.

A quiet, satisfying ending to a masterful accomplishment.