Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Daughter of Pablo Picasso, Dies at 87

Maya Ruiz-Picasso, the daughter of Pablo Picasso and Marie-Thérèse Walter, has died at the age of 87. Born in 1935 in Boulogne-Billancourt, she was the child of an extramarital affair between Picasso and Walter, who was 17 when she met the 45-year-old artist. Their relationship lasted from 1925 to 1935, during which Picasso frequently painted Walter, producing iconic works such as "Femme assise près d’une fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse)," sold at Christie’s in 2021. Maya herself was depicted in several paintings, including "Maya con la bambola" (1938). After her parents' relationship ended, Picasso became involved with Dora Maar. Maya became a photographer and a leading expert on her father's work, serving as a scholar, conservator, and promoter of his legacy. In 2022, she donated six paintings, a sketchbook, and two sculptures to the Musée Picasso Paris under a French tax arrangement that allows art donations in lieu of taxes. Among the donated works is "Child with a Lollipop Sitting Under a Chair" (1938), portraying Maya as a child. In 2017, Gagosian Gallery in Paris held the exhibition "Picasso and Maya: Father and Daughter," exploring their relationship through artworks, letters, poems, and unpublished photos.