by Nan
Oft times lives on theperiphery are more interesting than that of the central figure. the central figure is spot-lighted and made known in all its facets and dimensions while the peripheral figures remain shadowy and not clearly delineated; consequently more interesting to the searcher of the unobvious, the person like Robert Frost who takes the other road.

This fact dawned on me as I read about an auction of Dora Maar's personal effects more than a year after she died. Yes, she was one of Pablo Picasso's mistresses.

Pablo Picasso
Picasso was one of the greatest and there is much written about him. More interesting perhaps would be detailed biographies of his many mistresses. A film was being made fairly recently about Francoise Gilot, I believe.

Artists seem to be particularly susceptible to bohemian lives, the ancillary being frequent changes of bedmate. I remember how we tittered as young girls about one of our own great artists and simply could not believe how he could take another in preference to his near perfect wife, way back in the 50s.

If a man philanders and many men seem to think it is their prerogative, we tend to excuse it on the grounds that the particular man is extra brainy. talented above normal, or artistic and creative. If a woman flirts or is of easy morals, she is branded despi-cable. There's discrimi-nation for you!

Picasso was preco-cious, taking to painting and drawing at the tender age of ten. the first word he is said to have uttered is lapiz (pencil). He was a sculptor, graphic artist, ceramist and designer and the most famous, versatileand prolific artist of the 20th century. His personality domi-nated the art world and sadly wrecked many a life of those women who entangled themselves with him. Born to Joseph Ruiz Blasco and Maria Picasso Lopez he changed his name to that of his mother's in 1901.

His women
Picasso went through periodical mood swings reflected in his painting and classified as the Blue Period, Negro Period, the Sunny Period etc. His depressions and happy moods would surely have affected his women. Maybe he was too impervious to their stresses and worries.

He never dissociated himself from the woman who shared his life once a new love occupied his attention. In 1936 for instance, he gave equal attention to both Olga and Marie Therese. He was however, also well known for making the lives of his loves miserable, when with him and after rejection.

Dora Maar
In the 1930s he met Theodora Markovitch born 1907, a Yugos-lavian photographer who became his model and mistress. She was a painter herself and helped him with his famous mural Guer-nica, commissioned by the Republican govern-ment of Spain to com-memorate the des-tructuom of the city of Basque by the Fascists in 1937.

At the beginning of their relationship his paintings with her as model were sunny, sensuous and vibrant - Dora on a Beach and Portrait of Dora Maar Asleep. Later came his several Weeping Woman. "I could never see her, nor imagine her, except crying" he once remarked.

For her part, in the years that followed her being discarded, she was continually de-pressed, spoke bitterly of Picasso's cruelty, turned religious and became a recluse. But she never broke free from the man. Judging by the collection of paintings, gifts given her by Picasso and other objects associated with her liaison with him which she preserved so carefully, we may judge that emotionally she died with the death of his love for her.

This collection, one of the last important Picasso collections still in private hands outside the artist's immediate family is what has focused the spotlight on Dora Maar who died at age 89 on June 16, 1997.

Her apartment in Paris was sealed after the objects d'art were removed for safe keeping to a bank vault. They include 10 paintings of Picasso's, of which 7 are of Dora and 50 drawings along with tiny portraits on pebbles, medallions, cheap rings , pieces of wood, scraps of paper and stones that the artist turned to works of wonder. "No matter the quality of the piece, you feel the emotion in the work. they're full of feeling, full of life." "..... an entire slice of life between 1936 and 1945. Its like a time capsule." These, art critics believe, will throw further light on Picasso the man, if not the artist.

The wonder of it, really no wonder since women fall in love for life, is that Dora though poor never sold any tiny artifact or painting. Neither did she marry and so has no heir to benefit from the vast amount that will acrue from the proposed sale of the paintings - estimation: $25 million!

The paintings and other art objects that Dora Maar left to posterity, still probably in love with the man who treated her so shabbily and reportedly cruelly, will be exhibited and then auctioned. If no relation can be traced, all proceeds will go to the French government.

My women readers - be honest. What memorabilia do you keep hidden and treasured? Pebbles, sea shells, ticket counter-foils, photographs, handkerchiefs along with faded love letters?

I well remember a gift given one of my school friends: a book titled These Foolish things with the message hidden inside the fold of the dust jacket: "love and remembrance always".

I was green, not having anyone looking at me, leave alone gifting me precious mememtos!