Picasso

She remembers being six years old and standing outside the gates of Picasso’s grand house near Cannes, La Californie. Her father, Paulo, was nervous; her eight-year-old brother, Pablito, held her hand. They were there to collect from her grandfather the weekly allowance that Picasso grudgingly gave his eldest son to support his 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 – and for him to solve their problems. Living just a few miles away, they led a hand-to-mouth existence, utterly dependent on Picasso for their schooling, clothes, food – and for their futures.

Author Biography

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.