Picasso: The Real Family Story [Hardcover]

Olivier Widmaier Picasso (Author), Oliver Widmaier Picasso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

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-Therese - 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 both sides of the coin that is fame and talent.

Editorial Reviews

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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This book puts the color back into Picasso's dark portrait" Paris Match"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prestel Publishing (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791331493
• ISBN-13: 978-3791331492
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Cubism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The logical, real deal about the painter, October 2, 2005

By 

Painterome "painter" (L.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picasso: The Real Family Story (Hardcover)

Finally, a biography about Picasso written by a family member (his grandson by Marie-Therese Walter)that puts right all the ogre mythology. Yes, Picasso was not an ideal family man. But so much written about him in other biographies deem him almost inhuman. This bio is good because it puts all the facts out there. Good and bad. Widmaier refutes many of the "evil man myths" and gives you a straight view of what the man was really made of. I felt after reading this, a real grasp on this man/legend. A good job, that maybe his Grandfather would have appreciated, even though he was such a private person.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read About Picasso Family and Heirs, September 30, 2006

By 

Biographical_Book_Lover (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Picasso: The Real Family Story (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Love of The Artist For His Mother., August 14, 2005

By 

Betty Burks "Betty Burks" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picasso: The Real Family Story (Hardcover)

Throughout the ages, poets and philosophers have extolled the virtues of womanhood and motherhood. Pablo Picasso is quoted: "My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier you'll be a general; if you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.