The "Picasso - Dora Maar" memorial exhibition was held at the Picasso Museum from February 15 to May 22, 2006. This exhibition served both as a tribute to Picasso’s fifth “pink” confidante, Dora (who died in 2005; she was a member of the Surrealist group, a photographer, and Picasso’s model), and as an artistic dialogue. It also delved into Picasso’s major works created between 1937 and 1945 (during World War II) through Dora’s photography and her archival materials. The most significant work from this period is undoubtedly Guernica (1937).
The story goes like this: In 1935, after Marie-Thérèse gave birth to Picasso’s daughter Maya, their relationship ended. In 1936, while interacting with the Surrealist group, Picasso met his fifth wife, Dora. The young Dora evoked memories of Spanish women for Picasso. At the same time, the tragic bloodshed of the Spanish Civil War on Picasso’s homeland stirred a latent expressive nature within him, leading to the creation of the world-renowned Guernica (1937). During this period, nourished by love, a jubilant Picasso fully expressed sensibility and warmth in portraits of “lovers,” “sweethearts,” and “beloved daughters,” such as Marie-Thérèse with Hat (1937), Portrait of Dora (1937), and Maya with Doll (1937). He also began the Seated Woman series (1937–1944); though ugly yet charming, these distorted limbs seemed to foreshadow the coming human tragedy.
The shadow of World War II loomed over the eve of the storm. In the artist’s sensitive soul, bloody violence was displayed; Cat Eating a Bird (1939) or Weeping Peasant Woman (1938) reflected the times. In 1939, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a grand retrospective of Picasso. Shortly thereafter, war broke out. Based on humanitarian grounds, Picasso joined the French Communist Party. In 1945, introduced by the poet Max Jacob, Picasso met his sixth wife, Françoise Gilot. Picasso romantically said, “You (Gilot) are the only woman I have never touched; you are my window.” Thus, in 1946, Picasso and Gilot left Paris to settle on the Côte d’Azur, ending his relationship with Dora, and World War II soon came to an end.
