Maya Ruiz Picasso
Pablo Picasso’s eldest daughter has died
Maya Ruiz Picasso
© AP Photo | Lionel Cironneau / Picture Alliance
The art world mourns: Pablo Picasso’s eldest daughter Maya Ruiz-Picasso passed away on Tuesday December 20th. She was 87 years old.
The artist Maya Ruiz-Picasso, † 87, is dead. This was announced by the French Ministry of Culture. “Maya Ruiz-Picasso passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by her family at the age of 87,” lawyer Richard Malka told AFP, citing a family statement. The eldest daughter of the world-famous painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was 87 years old.
She maintained a close relationship with her father and had a significant impact on the painter’s life and work by becoming the motif for several of his works. So in 1938 Picasso painted María de la Concepción, who soon received the nickname Maya, in beautiful paintings that remained unknown for a long time: “Maya with Doll”, “Maya with Doll and Horse”, “Maya with Sailor Suit”, “Maya with Boat ” and “Maya with an apron”.
Father’s inheritance as a life’s work
Maya Ruiz-Picasso made it her life’s work to preserve her father’s inheritance. In 2021, for example, she made an exhibition in the Picasso Museum possible through a donation to the French state in 2021. According to France’s Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, 43, this tells “aptly of the painter’s privileged relationship with his first daughter”. The donation included several paintings, a sketchbook and a statue. These reflect everyday scenes by Pablo Picasso with his daughter and his partner Marie-Thérèse Walter (1909-1977).
She carried on her father’s mission
In general, the deceased was constantly committed to sharing and passing on her father’s work. This was her “mission”, Ruiz-Picasso’s son Olivier Widmaier Picasso, 61, is quoted as saying by the French ministry. She was of the opinion that “these works should go back to the state, for everyone”. In addition to the regular donations of works, the artist also shared her knowledge with those who were passionate about her work to support historical and scientific research.
Maya Ruiz-Picasso was the mother of three children and leaves behind a large family.