Picasso and Dora: A Personal Memoir

If there is one thing that can be told about James Lord, than it is that a man can write. I enjoyed his storytelling in his personal memoir and the description of the influence that art society of the post WWII Paris had on him. I loved the moments of his youthful boldness, and the fact that he approached one of the greatest artists of this century and asked him, without any second thoughts, to produce a portrait of him. The meeting between the two leads to the meeting between James and Dora Maar who at the time was Picasso's mistress. The reason I picked up the book is because I was truly interested in Dora Maar's life. Artist in her own right, her talent was often pushed aside to the fact that for 10 years she was Picasso's muse and mistress. Thru the set of circumstances, she and author, James Lord become friends and Lord develops genuine emotional attachment with her. But 15 years of age difference between the two (Dora is the older one), Dora's difficult past and James' homosexuality are all serious obstacles to their relationship. Scrutinized by friends they both share with Picasso, they continually test each other. We learn that James, in his own way, remains attached to Dora for the next 45 years. But Dora is elusive and solitary. After her disasterous relationship with Picasso, she is determined not to let anyone else in her life. As time progresses, she in fact carves out her circle of friends. While I tremendously enjoyed this memoir, and loved the pictures presented in the book, I still yearn to learn more about Dora Maar. I want to learn more about her unconventional beauty, exquisite hands and her complicated nature. Where James Lord definitely fails is when he truly does not give Dora her rightful place in the art world. She was definitely more than just a Picasso's muse. Dora was greater than life and her attachment to Picasso undermined her true value as an artist. Let's hope than now that both Picasso and Dora have long passed, she finally gets her due recognition. I will keep on reading books on her life. In the meantime, every time I run into her works of art (I usually see her photographs at the museums) at MoMA or other museums, I will honor her with what she knew when she was alive -- that her art will make her immortal, not just Picasso's renditions of her.

Grrrrrrrr! Picasso didn't know how to love anybody Dora stated. A compelling love story between a man who was an artist and a woman who was not only a photographer but a painter. She is very sensitive and grows very quiet in her later years, a recluse almost. And she said she never forgot about him.

Picasso & Dora is the story of a friendship, but not that of Picasso and Dora. Rather it is the story of the friendship of the author and the mysterious Dora Maar. Both these characters are fascinating personalities, as they move in close and then distance themselves. The fact that Lord is a gay man in love, in his own way, with Dora adds a complexity and richness to the story. It is reminsicent of Isherwood and Sally Bowles and Capote and Holly Golightly. There is a special poignancy to the story of a gay man who loves a woman, yet cannot offer her the love she really wants. Lord writes exceptionally well and Dora, who died just recently at an advanced age, lives on in his words.