Picasso: The Real Family Story
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Picasso: The Real Family Story Details
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 PaulCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more
Reviews
Finally, a book about Picasso that tells a coherent biographical history and backs up information with references, and all by a family member who evidently did his research (the son of Maya, Marie-Therese's daughter).The author never knew his grandfather so he had to do his research in order to write such a consice history. My favorite read on Picasso is still Francoise Gilot's "Life with Picasso" but this one is a close second. The Real Family Story is an excellent read on the artist's myriad families and the heirs of Picasso, though none of the other books by family members can be discounted.The only real slant is that Olivier Widmaier Picasso appears to be closer to the Francoise side of the family than the Olga side of the family (which may be an understatement) but in such an expansive family there are naturally divides.Importantly, delves into the troublesome estate matters left behind by Picasso, which all heirs seemed to have benefitted after a lot of legal process.
