Overview

Marina Picasso is the daughter of Pablo Picasso's eldest son. In this extraordinary, heart-breaking memoir she speaks for the first time of the devastating effect Picasso's fame and personality on her and her family Marina Picasso remembers being six years old and standing awkwardly in front of the gates of Picasso's grand house near Cannes. She was there with her father and eight-year-old brother to collect from her grandfather the weekly allowance that Picasso grudgingly gave his eldest son to support is family. Sometimes they were sent away and on other occasions, the gates would be opened and they would walk into the intimidating, exciting chaos of Picasso's studio to face the man himself and his unpredictable moods. Looking back, Marina can understand why Picasso had so little interest in his grandchildren; but at the time, she and her brother longed for him to love and understand them. Just a few miles away down the C te d'Azur, they led a hand-to-mouth existence. Her father was a weak man, reliant on his father for everything and her mother lived in her own fantasy world; the family were therefore utterly dependent on Picasso. People assumed they were rich and privileged because they were Picassos and they were to live their lives under the burden of these assumptions. It was this that caused Marina's brother to commit suicide and when her father died Marina found herself in the ironic position of being one of the major heirs to Picasso's estate.

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9780099437031

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A poignant memoir * Financial Times * A moving account of what it is like to be brought up in the shadow of a universally renowned genius... A fine examination of a family which bears a famous name * Kirkus Reviews * A simple story, told with great dignity... Guernica will never look the same again... what wonderful revenge * Observer * Pablo Picasso's granddaughter reveals the tragic reality behind the revered painter's life * Chicago Tribune *

Pablo Picasso's granddaughter reveals the tragic reality behind the revered painter's life * Chicago Tribune * A simple story, told with great dignity... Guernica will never look the same again... what wonderful revenge * Observer * A moving account of what it is like to be brought up in the shadow of a universally renowned genius... A fine examination of a family which bears a famous name * Kirkus Reviews * A poignant memoir * Financial Times *

This is a moving account of what it is like to be brought up in the shadow of a universally renowned genius. Marina Picasso portrays her grandfather as a tyrant but also manages to view him with a sympathetic eye - he was unable to relate with his family because 'isolated within his work he had lost all contact with reality and withdrawn into an impenetrable inner world'. The children of Picasso's son grew up in poverty. Their father was little more than a servant to his father and their mother, Olga, merely wanted to cash in on the family name. But it was the lack of affection which Marina and her brother Pablito found it hard to cope with. They had to make appointments to see their grandfather, and would sometimes be turned down. As Picasso fell out with his women, ceasing contact with his children, so Marina and Pablito would lose playmates who could understand their predicament. Marina Picasso's description of the joys and - more often - sorrows of her childhood is accompanied by her account of her personal journey in the world of analysis, which led to an understanding of her family, the events which shaped them and ultimately herself. This is a sensitive work, impressive in its handling of delicate issues of selfhood. It contains no trace of bitterness, merely regret at what might have been. There is a strong sense of love, clan loyalty and finally a peaceful resolution. This is a fine examination of a family which bears a famous name. (Kirkus UK)

A poignant memoir Financial Times A moving account of what it is like to be brought up in the shadow of a universally renowned genius... A fine examination of a family which bears a famous name Kirkus Reviews A simple story, told with great dignity... Guernica will never look the same again... what wonderful revenge Observer Pablo Picasso's granddaughter reveals the tragic reality behind the revered painter's life Chicago Tribune

Author Information

Marina Picasso is the founder of several charitable organisations that help underprivileged children in Vietnam. She has five children, including three adopted Vietnamese children, and lives in La Californie, the villa in the South of France that she inherited from Picasso. She is one of the five heirs to the Picasso estate.

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