the weeping woman, 1937dora maar with crown of flowers, 1937dora maar, picasso, ady & kasbec the dog by man ray, 1937portrait of dora maar, 1937picasso et les portraits de dora maar, atelier des grands-augustins, paris, by brassaï, 1939dora maar by man ray, 1936the yellow sweater, 1937picasso & doradora maar au chat, 1941dora maar, picasso & lee miller, 1937
in 1936 the 54 year old picasso first met 29 year old dora maar on the terrace of the les deux magots cafe. accompanied by poet paul eluard, he couldn't take his eyes off her, in part because she kept driving a penknife between her fingers into the table. when she would miss, drops of blood would appear on her gloves. they left the cafe together & picasso asked to keep the gloves as a souvenir. (he kept them on a shelf in his apartment). their relationship would last for the next 9 years.maar was already a highly regarded photographer when she met picasso. she was born in france in 1907 but grew up in argentina. she became his constant companion & lover & as his new muse, picasso drew and painted maar incessantly. maar became the rival of marie-thérèse walter who had just given birth to picasso's daughter maya. dora was the exact opposite of blonde marie-thérèse - dark & sad, picasso called her his "private muse." (speculation is that her melancholy was related to her infertility.)when picasso abandoned maar for francoise gilot in 1945, she had a nervous breakdown & became a recluse. when she died in 1997 a treasure trove of paintings & souvenirs were discovered. as with picasso's previous lovers she never got over him & died poor & alone.