The untold story of Picasso's muses

<p>The women who loved Picasso shaped his art in surprising ways.</p><br /><p>--</p><br /><p>YOUR NEXT EPISODE:</p><p><a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/culture-podcast/2025/03/why-we-cant-let-go-of-never-let-me-go" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Why we can't let go of <em>Never Let Me Go</em></a></p><br /><p>--</p><br /><p>"We look at paintings to imagine other worlds, other times. They are doors into an alternative, creative way of life."</p><br /><p>So writes Sue Roe in her latest book, Hidden Portraits: the Untold Story of Six Women Who loved Picasso.&nbsp;</p><br /><p>And if there was ever an artist who opened the door to an alternative view of the world, surely Picasso qualifies: unorthodox, exhilarating, and experimental, his art broke new ground and made him the most successful artist of the 20th century.</p><br /><p>But as is so often the case, his work was underpinned by a series of women - remarkable women - whom Picasso loved, and seemingly attempted to control.</p><br /><p>Sue Roe's book tells their stories in turn, unveiling their extraordinary lives, exploring the impact they had on the artist and he on them.</p><br /><p>In doing so it reveals, without moralising, some patterns of behaviour by Picasso which one might conclude were, at best, controlling and manipulative.&nbsp;</p><br /><p>This opens up the fashionable question in 2025: can we appreciate the art while recognising that the artist could be a very unpleasant human being.</p><br /><p>--</p><br /><p>BUY</p><p><a href="BUY ON BOOKSHOP.ORG" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hidden Portraits: the Untold Story of Six Women who Loved Picasso</a></p><br /><p>READ</p><p><a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2025/04/pablo-picasso-mistreated-muses" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Picasso's mistreated muses - book review by Sue Prideaux</a></p><br /><p>LISTEN AD-FREE</p><p>Download the New Statesman app: <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/new-statesman-magazine/id610498525" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iOS</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.progressivemediagroup.newstatesman&amp;hl=en_GB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Android</a></p><br /><p>STAY IN TOUCH</p><p>Get our best writing every weekend in <a href="https://saturdayread.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Saturday Read email newsletter</a></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><strong>LISTEN AD-FREE:</strong></p><p>📱<a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2022/06/newapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the New Statesman app</a></p><br /><p><strong>MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:</strong></p><p>❓ <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/2022/10/you-ask-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ask a question</a> – we answer them every Friday</p><p>⏰ <a href="https://morningcall.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get our daily politics newsletter</a> every morning</p><p>✍️ <a href="http://saturdayread.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Enjoy the best of our writing</a> via email every Saturday</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>