The Women of Pablo Picasso: Marie-Thérèse Walter and Picasso

Marie-Thérèse Walter and Picasso (1927-1936)

Marie-Thérèse Walter by Picasso

n 1927 Picasso met Marie-Thérèse Walter (1909-1977),

Marie-Thérèse Walter

a 17 year old who Picasso then lived with in a flat across the street from his marital home (while still married to Olga).  Marie-Thérèse and  Picasso had a daughter, Maya (Maria de la Concepcion) on October 5, 1935.  (Picasso and Olga later separated although they remained married so Olga would not receive half of Picasso’s wealth — until she died in 1955. )

Marie-Thérèse Walter

Picasso’s relation with Marie was kept from Olga until Olga was told of Marie’s pregnancy.   Marie understandably became jealous when Picasso started to fall in love with Dora Maar in 1936, a year after Maya was born.  It was Marie-Thérèse who was the inspiration for many of Picasso’s famous Vollard Suite etchings.  Marie-Thérèse died by hanging herself in 1977, four years after Picasso died.  Maya’s son, Olivier Widmaier wrote “Picasso: The Real Family Story” about his artist grandfather, in 2004.