From Booklist
Olivier Widmaier-Picasso, a grandson of the famous artist, offers a measured blend of research and interpretation and works to counter certain darker, scandal-driven portrayals of his grandfather, including two books by his cousin, Marina Picasso. Olivier's Picasso is a generous humanist and a "multicolored alternative to a world of gray certitudes." Because his mother, Maya, was born to Picasso and longtime lover Marie-Therese Walter, Olivier, a lawyer and media producer, spends much time detailing the evolution of French laws of paternity and inheritance, the seven-year proceedings to settle the artist's $840 million estate, and the efforts since to promote and protect the Picasso brand. His thematic structure-- chapters on women, politics, family, money--leads to inevitable backtracking but allows him to focus at length on the private entanglements of a most public man. The Bohemian poverty, the uneasy days in Vichy France, the communism, the worldwide fame: it's all told with a sense of family pride. Steve Paul
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Book Description
Already published in France, Spain and Germany to wide acclaim, this book presents an insider’s portrait of Pablo Picasso, the women in his life and the Picasso family. The author, Picasso’s grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso spoke extensively with relatives, friends, and contemporaries of the artist and discovered unknown information about Picasso’s life. Correcting previous portrayals of the artist which have been highly critical of his personal relationships and treatment of women, this book offers a balanced and sensitive account of his life. Olivier Widmaier-Picasso—whose grandmother was the artist’s muse and lover Marie-Thérèse—answers allegations about everything from the artist’s sexuality and relation to money and politics to the feuding over his estate and the author’s own handling of the artist’s legacy. This compassionate, penetrating biography, which includes never before published family photographs, offers a unique perspective as it explores the double-edged sword that is fame and talent.
Picasso: The Real Family Story FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Olivier Widmaier Picasso set out on a journey to rediscover the famous grandfather whose works decorated the walls of his parents' home in Marseille. His research brought to light details of Picasso's life that had always remained hidden from the general public. These details are now revealed exclusively in this book. The author explains why certain myths have grown up around modern art's founder and he rebuts the slanderous attacks made against Picasso in the past. Picasso's grandson spoke to the people who really knew his grandfather - famous contemporaries and leading figures from the worlds of art and the law, as well as ordinary individuals who played a part in his life. The author paints an intimate portrait of the artist and provides a delicate counterbalance to the public perception of the artist." The author describes Picasso's relationships with the women in his life and his children and examines his views on love, sex, and family life, as well as money, politics, power, fame, death, and eternity. This book reveals the story of one man's life and dispels many of the myths that surround the prolific artist and insatiable man. For the first time, the reader is let into the secrets of the Picasso estate with its eventful history and the incredible value of the inheritance.
SYNOPSIS
Already published in France, Spain and Germany to wide acclaim, this book presents an insider's portrait of Pablo Picasso, the women in his life and the Picasso family. The author, Picasso's grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso spoke extensively with relatives, friends, and contemporaries of the artist and discovered unknown information about Picasso's life. Correcting previous portrayals of the artist which have been highly critical of his personal relationships and treatment of women, this book offers a balanced and sensitive account of his life. Olivier Widmaier-Picasso-whose grandmother was the artist's muse and lover Marie-Thﾽrﾽse-answers allegations about everything from the artist's sexuality and relation to money and politics to the feuding over his estate and the author's own handling of the artist's legacy. This compassionate, penetrating biography, which includes never before published family photographs, offers a unique perspective as it explores the double-edged sword that is fame and talent.
Olivier Widmaier-Picasso is the son of Maya, the daughter of Pablo Picasso and Marie-Thﾽrﾽse Walter. He studied law and is active in Paris as a producer and media consultant.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Olivier Picasso, the grandson of Pablo Picasso, never knew his famous grandfather. In this newly translated work, he counters Picasso's many critics and sheds new light on his grandfather's relationships with family members, women, politics, and money. Though labored in parts, the book is richly researched, clearly written, and anecdotal. It includes extensive interviews with friends and family to reconstruct the famous painter's history as a family man. The author bolsters his arguments with facts and evidence convincing enough to rescue his grandfather from those who exploit his reputation. He defends the artist against the sensational and accusatory Picasso, My Grandfather (1995) by his cousin, Marina Picasso, and demonstrates that the family, however unconventional, is a loving, if not tragic, one. While the book presents more a collage than a portrait of the artist, Picasso emerges a full human being-at once a husband, lover, father, brother, and son-providing for his extended family while his art remained the center of his universe. Recommended for all modern art history and biography collections.-Ellen Bates, New York Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Art & Photography
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