Pablo Picasso and Olga Khokhlova: burning of the "last one"

Every time I change wives, I should burn the last one.

That way I would be rid of them.

Maybe, that would bring back my youth, too.

Pablo Picasso

Accepting Picasso’s proposal of marriage, the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova was warned by Picasso’s mother: ‘Poor girl, you have no idea what you are condemning yourself to. Pablo is only concerned with himself’. Nevertheless, Olga did not change her decision and became his first and only wife, to whom he dedicated probably the most of his paintings.

Pablo Picasso truly believed that Olga was a love of his life. They met during the rehearsals of the Parade ballet that was part of Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons, in which she danced. Picasso fell in love with 26 years old ballerina and courted her for a year, asking her for marriage. The couple married in the Paris City Hall. In addition to the secular ceremony, at the insistence of the bride there was a wedding at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Picasso showed seriousness of his intentions with a marriage contract, according to which, in case of divorce, all his property (including his paintings) would be divided into two equal parts.

For ten years, Olga Khokhlova had been the artist's only muse, inspiring him to create not only masterpieces, but also to discover new art directions. Despite the fact that many believed that Olga did not understand Picasso's paintings, trying to convert him from a freethinking genius to a secular dandy, Pablo did not stop admiring his young well educated wife with refined manners.

Olga's appearance in Picasso’s life coincided with the new neoclassical period of the artist's creative style: the artist created his wife’s portraits presenting her as an ancient goddess. In 1921 birth of their long-awaited first child, son Paul, gave rise to soft and tender images of the mother and the child in Picasso’s canvas. However, happiness of the couple was short-lived. Olga began to receive sad news from her family in Russia, and after death of her parents, she broke off contact with other family members. Difficult family situation affected her mood and character; she had lost emotional control, feeling growing indifference of her husband. Lyrical images of the beloved woman were replaced by surreal images of the suffering woman in Picasso's canvas.

During the lecture, you will find out how this love story ended.

The meeting will be held online in Russian with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

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