Jacqueline Roque & The New Picasso Museum in Aix

September 2020 Update: No Jacqueline Roque – Picasso Museum in Aix for Now

The establishment of the Picasso Museum in Aix-en-Provence is not happening at the moment. The opening date for the museum was originally scheduled for 2021. However the municipality and Catherine Hutin-Blay (Picasso’s stepdaughter) failed to reach an agreement after four long years of negotiations.

The municipality of Aix-en-Provence will not establish the Picasso museum in the old Prêcheurs convent. Catherine Hutin-Blay is disappointed but she is still very determined! She is not giving up on her dream of establishing the Picasso museum in Aix. Hutin-Blay will now focus her efforts on looking for an alternative venue. We will keep track of developments.

Source: La Provence

The Story about the Picasso Museum that was to be named after Jacqueline Roque

Pablo Picasso’s stepdaughter, Catherine Hutin-Blay, is the driving force behind the idea of a new Pablo Picasso museum. A former convent in Aix-en-Provence will be the location of this new museum.

Hutin-Bay is dedicating the museum to Picasso’s artworks that he created during the years together with his second wife, Jacqueline Roque. She wanted to name the museum Musée Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso.

The Second Wife & Muse of Picasso – Jacqueline Roque

Jacqueline and Picasso were married for 11 years and until his death. Jacqueline was Picasso’s favorite muse. He painted more than 400 portraits of her! Pablo Picasso met Jacqueline in 1953. He was 72 and she was only 26 years old.

Picasso seduced her by drawing a dove on her house in chalk and bringing her one rose each day until she agreed to go out with him six months later. They married in Vallauris on 2 March 1961.

Catherine Hutin-Blay’s Massive Picasso Inheritance

Catherine Hutin-Blay is Jacqueline’s only child. When Jacqueline killed herself 13 years after Picasso’s death , Hutin-Blay inherited her mother’s massive collection of Picasso artworks. In fact, she inherited more than 2,000 artworks!!

Picasso Hated Selling his Artworks

Pablo Picasso hated selling his paintings. He felt that his art was never complete and held onto them. In his early days and when he needed money to live on, Picasso begrudgingly sold his work. However, when Picasso was famous and money no longer a concern, he often refused to part with his artworks.

Hutin-Blay ended up inheriting all the paintings that Picasso hoarded and was unwilling to relinquish. She also inherited Château de Vauvenargues near Aix-en-Provence, where Picasso and Jacqueline lived together.

Musée Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso will be the Largest Picasso Museum in the World

The new Picasso museum, when established, will showcase the world’s largest Picasso collection, with over 1,000 paintings. It will also display drawings, ceramics, sculptures and photographs belonging to Picasso and Jacqueline.

If this museum is eventually established, it will be the 5th museum dedicated to the Spaniard!. Currently, there are four fantastic Picasso museums. Two in France – in Paris and Antibes and two museums in Spain – Barcelona & his birthplace, Malaga.

“Give me a museum and I will fill it!”
Pablo Picasso Quote

For years, Hutin-Blay wanted to build a museum. However Picasso left no family will and the issue of inheritance was messy. After years of legal battles, Hutin-Blay is now able to go ahead with her plans of building the museum.

The focus of the museum will be the artworks that Picasso created in the years that he was with Jacqueline Roque . Many of these artworks have never been on public display ever!!!!

Picasso once said,

“My mother said to me, ‘If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.’

Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.'”

For more articles about Pablo Picasso, see the articles below: