Mention the name Picasso and everybody knows the world-renowned Spanish artist or at least they think they do. Some will be aware of his art and others may know a little more about the man behind the canvas and his other infamous traits. His latest painting up for auction in May 2015 was The Women of Algiers (Version O) which sold for a record-breaking $179.4 million US1 exemplifying that some of the controversy that surrounded his life had no impact on his notoriety, but what of that of his friendship with Lee Miller?

Known for his part in the creation of cubism, the first abstract style of modern art, Picasso was also known for his prolific womanizing ways. He had a multitude of affairs and relationships and was married three times as well as fathering four children. However it is believed that these relationships with his wives, mistresses, and children were not altogether that conventional.

He was most attracted to younger women, thinking nothing of a 40+ age gap and often used these women as muses or inspiration for his artwork although rarely in the form of models; Picasso preferring to work from memory. One such relationship, which is certainly less documented than others, is that with the above mentioned Lee Miller. Having gained international recognition during her lifetime, Miller seems to have become even more notorious after her death; due mostly to the part played by her son, Tony Penrose.

Lee Miller was an American model turned photographer who became best known for her war photography as the war correspondent for Vogue. She had moved to Paris to focus on her photography and fell in with the surrealist movement, where she met her mentor and lover Man Ray, as well as becoming acquainted with a group of artists which included Picasso.

Miller then married an Englishman, a curator named Roland Penrose, and they moved to the countryside in Devon. During the summer of 1937, Miller, Penrose and Picasso holidayed together along with others from their group of friends including Dora Maar, Picasso’s then lover. Although their friendship was long-lasting, it was during this time that the artist painted six portraits of Miller, namely Lee Miller as L’Arlésienne.

Somehow her presence does not feature much in Picasso’s biographies although they seemed to have enjoyed an intimacy reserved for close friends. An exhibit at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland is showcasing their relationship through a combination of his art work and her photography. The exhibition is part of the 2015 Edinburgh Art Festival and the IPS Season of Photography 2015 and will run from the 23rd of May until the 6th of September.

There is nothing to suggest these two were more than close friends however when asked about the nature of the relationship with mother and the Spanish artist, Miller’s son states “I have every reason to suspect they were more than just friends”2. He even goes so far as to suggest that the sexual fluidity of Picasso, his parents, and their friends was extremely carefree. “They all acted in a very liberal manner when it came to sexuality3“.

It appears that this relationship with a woman, whether it was of a sexual nature or not, is one of the only ones that Picasso was part of that did not end sour. Picasso valued his privacy and perhaps he valued the fact that Miller did too, which is why he allowed her to take pictures of him.

Miller’s photography collection has captured some private intimate moments of the artists life, amassing over 1000 pictures with him as the subject. Does this vast archive of documentation of moments of Picasso’s life shine any more light onto their relationship or is it mere speculation? One thing is for certain though; a picture is worth a thousand words.

The role of the woman plays an important role in Picasso’s art as well as the many women who passed through his life, they all influenced him in some way but he also left his mark on them. His legacy is engraved in her photography and hers in his portraits of her. Miller and Picasso; two artists of a different calibre who worked with completely different mediums joined together in their creativity, finding a shared intimacy in friendship and family life. Tony Penrose declared in an interview that whilst he was growing up he was not aware of Picasso’s status as a world-renowned artist, and that he was merely a family friend who would come visit their home. It appears that something in Miller and her family’s presence allowed him to peel back the layers and just “be” allowing Picasso to step away from the controversy that usually surrounded his relationships.

Miller’s celebrity which came much later, and is still not that well-known, is certainly overshadowed by the notoriety of Picasso and his work, however she shines through as an artist in her own right. Although his name is still the ‘USP’ (Unique Selling Point) for her son, Miller is for once stealing the artistic limelight from her dear friend.

Text by Elizabeth Thompson

Notes

1 www.cbc.c
2 3 www.theguardian.com

Sources

www.leemiller.co.uk
www.nationalgalleries.org
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com
www.vogue.com
www.anothermag.com