Maya, his daughter, can be seen in several paintings by the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. She is said to have a very special relationship with her father. Maya Ruiz-Picasso has died at the age of 87.
Maya Ruiz-Picasso, the eldest daughter of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and the subject of several of his paintings, is dead. "Maya Ruiz-Picasso died peacefully this morning surrounded by her family at the age of 87," lawyer Richard Malka said today Tuesday the AFP news agency, citing a statement from the family.
Born on September 5, 1935, María de la Concepción, known as Maya, was the first daughter of Pablo Picasso and Marie-Thérèse Walter, whom he met in 1927. Her birth turned the life of the artist, who had a total of four children, completely upside down.
"She's the only person in the world I know who didn't talk about Pablo Picasso, but about 'dad'. (...) I think that testifies to the extraordinary relationship she had with him," said Olivier Widmaier Picasso, son of Maya Ruiz-Picasso.
Maya Ruiz-Picasso is currently the subject of a double exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Paris, dealing with her relationship with her father and her donation to the French state. "Maya with Doll" (1938), "Maya with Doll and Horse" (1938), "Maya in Sailor Suit" (1938) or "Maya with Ship" (1938) are some of the colorful portraits of little Maya currently in Paris you can see.
At the end of September 2021, Maya gave France several previously unpublished works by her father, who died in 1973, including "Child with a pacifier sitting under a chair". The black-and-white 1938 painting likely depicts Maya hiding under the piece of furniture and may have been a grim harbinger of the approaching world war.
Maya Ruiz-Picasso was the mother of three children. In 2023, France and Spain will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death with several exhibitions in both countries.
