Picasso: The Artist and His Muses

Taking a fresh approach to discussions around one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Picasso: The Artist and His Muses examines the significance of the six women who were most important to Picasso’s artistic development, as well as exploring in depth the notion of the artist/muse relationship.

Featuring texts by some of the world’s leading female art writers, this publication covers work that spans most of Picasso’s entire career, from 1906 through to the early 1970s. Focusing on the prominent muses throughout his life—Fernande Olivier, Olga Khokhlova, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque—this book makes clear the impact that these women had on Picasso’s creativity and their significant long-term influence on the development of his work.

This beautifully designed and illustrated book reopens the door to discussions around Picasso’s life and work, allowing readers to engage with Picasso beyond the discourse now typically associated with him.

Picasso: The Artist and His Muses includes writings from: Cécile Godefroy (Art Historian and Associate Researcher to the Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte, Brussels), Laurence Madeline (Chief Curator, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva, formerly at the Musée Picasso, Paris), Dr Catherine M Soussloff (Professor of Art History, Visual Art & Theory at University of British Columbia, Vancouver), Vérane Tasseau (Art Historian, Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), Dr Gertje Utley (Independent Art Historian and author of Picasso: The Communist Years, (New York, 2000)) and Diana Widmaier Picasso (Art Historian, author of Picasso: Art Can Only Be Erotic (Munich, 2005) and Curator of Picasso.mania at the Grand Palais, Paris).

Published in partnership with Art Centre Basel for the Vancouver Art Gallery.