If you are looking for something to do this weekend, I suggest heading over to the Gagosian Gallery to see the new Picasso exhibition, Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L'Amour Fou. When Picasso saw the beautiful and blonde Marie-Thérèse Walter outside the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris in 1927, he told her, "You have an interesting face. I would like to do a portrait of you. I have a feeling we will do great things together." The fact that she was 16 and he was 45 and married didn't matter and she went on to become his muse and mistress. The exhibition chronicles the life of Marie-Thérèse and their love affair through Picasso's paintings. There is a wonderful excerpt from the exhibition catalog written by John Richardson in the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair and online for those of you who can't make it to the show in person. The exhibition was also made possible with help from Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the granddaughter or Picasso and Marie-Thérèse.
Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L'Amour Fou
Gagosian Gallery
522 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
April 14 - June 25, 2011
Marie-Thérèse Leaning on One Arm, 1939
Marie-Thérèse Coiffee d'un Beret, 1927
Photo of Marie-Thérèse Walter, date unknown
Top Painting: Marie-Thérèse with Garland, 1937
