These pictures are unbelievably true to life. Everything’s here: my little girl’s clothes, my hair, even my toys and yet . . .
—Maya Ruiz-Picasso, 1996
Gagosian is pleased to present Picasso and Maya: Father and Daughter, the first exhibition dedicated to the artist’s diverse portrayals of his eldest daughter, Maya.
María de la Concepción, known as Maya, was born on September 5, 1935. During the first ten years of her life she was a constant subject in her father’s drawings and paintings, who observed with fascination and tenderness her physical and mental development. Her mother, Marie-Thérèse Walter, was the artist’s most iconic model. After meeting in 1927 at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Picasso and Marie-Thérèse began a long-lasting love affair, resulting in the birth of Picasso’s first daughter Maya. Picasso chronicled intimate details of their private life together en famille, exploring the archetypal theme of maternity. Maya’s portraits reflect the great joy that she brought into the artist’s life, even in the looming shadow of World War II. Out of all of Picasso’s children, Maya was most frequently depicted—a muse in the image of her mother.
This exhibition presents major works from the 1930s to the 1950s, including a collection of intimate portraits of Maya and Marie-Thérèse, sculptures, and little paper cutouts fashioned especially for his daughter. Like many of his favorite portraits of family members, most of the pieces remained in Picasso’s personal collection until his death in 1973. Alongside the artist’s works, a selection of archival material—unpublished photographs, films, letters, and poems—will explore the relationship between father and daughter while providing an invaluable testimony of this newfound happiness.
