Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The love story unfolds through Maars striking photographs of Picasso and their brilliant friends, most of them artists and writers; in his famous weeping woman portraits of her; and in Mary Ann Caws revealing text. The book is an enthralling revelation of the lives of a wholly exceptional circle of friends.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch Press; 1st Edition. edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821226932
• ISBN-13: 978-0821226933
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,092,344 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, January 7, 2001

By	Dale Bentson "bentmax" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar

I am grateful for this book. It is insightful but not definitive. It is not an in depth biography of Dora Maar. A better perception of the psyche of Dora Maar is contained in James Lord's personal memoir "Picasso and Dora". And a better understanding of the cruelty of Picasso is presented in Arianna S. Huffington's "Picasso: Creator and Destroyer". Both I think are necessary to truly appreciate this book as I do.

Since Dora Maar's death in 1997, little has yet been published of her work. She is primarily known as one of the mistresses of Picasso but there was a world of complexity to this woman. She was deeply involved with the surrealists before she ever met Picasso. She knew them all, Breton, Tanguy, Man Ray, Hugnet, Crevel. She was a noted photographer, an exhibited painter, a poet and Picasso's muse and inspiration for seven stormy years culminating in a breakdown that left her a changed woman, a recluse and a religious devotee.

Mary Ann Caws book presents a dazzling panorama of works by both Dora Maar and Picasso including some wonderful comparative paintings of both artists. Dora Maar assisted and photographically chronicled Picasso as he created his masterpiece Guernica. That chronicle is beautifully presented in Caws book.

This book is an easy read with gorgeous reproductions of photographs, painting, sculpture, and poetry throughout not only from Dora Maar but also from Paul Eluard, André du Bouchet and others. It is a great visual companion piece to books on Picasso's works, photography and surrealism. It will occupy that regrettably tiny portion of my bookshelf devoted to Dora Maar. Thank you Mary Ann Caws for this delightful book

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dora mysterious, dramatic, definitely not only weeping, November 9, 2001

By	darienka "darienka" (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

I would recommend this book to everybody. I am so delighted I purchased this book. It includes everything you need to know about Dora - her personal life before, during and after Picasso. I have always been interested in Picasso and by studying his life, I noticed all the fascinating women in his life. In my opinion, Dora was the one who made a big difference and who had a huge influence on him. Although it was Francoise Gilot, another woman in Picasso's life who gave him two children. Dora's own career and life as an artist (photographer, model, painter) is described in this book from the time she moved to Paris and tried to establish herself as a photographer.

You will not only find Picasso's portraits and drawings of Dora but Dora's own work (a lot of black & white photos taken by her that remind me of Man Ray's work). She truly was a talented artist. This is not often mentioned. Most of the people saw her mainly as Picasso's model and Muse. Dora was a very complex person full of emotions. She could be very dramatic in the way she looked and dressed. This all is revealed in this book. As I said, it has it all: Dora as a private person (Theodora M.) and Dora as an artist, the famous and remarkable Dora Maar. Trust me, with this book, you will get all the information you need. I consider this book a piece of art.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just an inspiration for the art of another , May 1, 2006

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Dora Maar was according to most observers the woman in Picasso's life , closest to being at his own level of artistic perception and understanding. As this volume makes clear she was an outstanding photographer . The story of her relationship with Picasso, the part she played as inspiration and model for his work, her special role in regard to Guernica, her being the weeping woman of the famous painting, his abandoning her when he sensed ( or so he claimed) her impending madness, her passionate clinging to his memory, her breakdown, her turning to a reclusive life and one of deep religious devotion- are all presented in this excellent and clearly written volume.
There are also representations of much of her work, and of Picasso's in which she is subject.
Maar was clearly a considerable personality and artist in her own right, and not simply the inspiration for another.