Lost Diary Reveals Dora Maar's Hidden Circle

A 1951 Hermés diary purchased on eBay for 70 Euros led Brigitte Benkemoun on a two-year investigation into the life of Dora Maar, the French photographer, painter, and poet. The diary, originally owned by Maar, contained 20 pages of contacts including Chagall, Balthus, Brassai, Picasso, psychoanalyst Lacan, Russian painter Staél, and English surrealist Penrose. Benkemoun's book, published by Getty Publications in October 2020, reconstructs Maar's biography, exposing her accomplishments, mental illness, and relationships. Maar, who died in 1997, had been unfairly remembered primarily as Picasso's muse and the 'Weeping Woman.' The work combines biography, gossip, drama, and art history.