Jacqueline Roque

Jacqueline Roque was the second and final wife of the renowned artist Pablo Picasso, serving as his primary muse and model during the last two decades of his life. Her presence profoundly influenced his late artistic output, resulting in hundreds of portraits. Roque fiercely guarded Picasso's legacy after his death, becoming a central, often controversial, figure in the management of his estate and the establishment of the Musée Picasso in Paris.

Early life and background

Jacqueline Marie Marguerite Roque was born in the 16th arrondissement of Paris to a family of modest means. Her father was an Italian-born entrepreneur, and her early years were marked by the economic hardships of the Interwar period in France. She initially pursued a career in fashion, working at the prestigious Madeline & Madeline boutique in Cannes, and later found employment at the Madoura Pottery workshop in Vallauris on the French Riviera. It was at the Madoura workshop, where Picasso produced his ceramic works, that she first encountered the artist in 1952, while she was a sales assistant. Prior to this, her personal life included a marriage to engineer André Hutin, with whom she had a daughter, Catherine Hutin-Blay.

Relationship with Pablo Picasso

Roque's relationship with Picasso began in 1953, shortly after the departure of his previous partner, Françoise Gilot. She quickly became his constant companion and primary model, providing a stabilizing domestic influence at his villas, La Californie and later Notre-Dame-de-Vie in Mougins. Their union, solemnized in a private ceremony in 1961, lasted until Picasso's death in 1973. During this period, Picasso created an immense body of work dedicated to her, estimated at over 400 portraits in various mediums including oil painting, drawing, and printmaking, such as the famed *Jacqueline with Flowers* (1954) and the extensive *Jacqueline Roque series* of linocuts. Her distinct profile and serene presence became iconic motifs in his late work, often contrasted with the more tumultuous depictions of his former muses like Dora Maar and Marie-Thérèse Walter.

Later life and death

Following Picasso's death, Roque became the legal heir and executor of a significant portion of his estate, a role that placed her at the center of protracted and acrimonious legal battles with Picasso's other heirs, including his children Claude Picasso, Paloma Picasso, and Maya Widmaier-Picasso. She dedicated herself to preserving his legacy, playing a pivotal role in the donation of works to the French state that led to the creation of the Musée Picasso Paris, which opened in the Hôtel Salé in the Marais district in 1985. Plagued by ill health and the immense pressure of the estate disputes, she died by suicide at her home in Mougins in 1986. She was interred beside Picasso at the Château of Vauvenargues, the estate he had purchased in 1958.

In popular culture

Jacqueline Roque has been depicted in several biographical films and series about Picasso's life. She was portrayed by actress Lydia Bosch in the 1996 television film *Surviving Picasso*, which was based on the memoir by Françoise Gilot. More recently, she was played by Clémence Poésy in the 2018 season of the National Geographic anthology series *Genius*, which focused on Picasso. Her life and complex relationship with the artist have also been explored in numerous biographies and art historical studies, such as those by John Richardson and Arianna Huffington, cementing her status as a key figure in 20th-century art history.

Category:1927 births Category:1986 deaths Category:French art models Category:Spouses of artists