Was Picasso a misogynist?

The greatest artist of the 20th century has been characterised as a bully, a narcissist and a man who feared as well as desired women. But are the stories really true? Jonathan Jones tackles the six million euro question

It is the six million euro question – or much more, if you are Picasso’s granddaughter enjoying reverse retail therapy by selling inherited art and property. What were the great modern artist’s relationships with women really like?

Picasso has been characterised by many as a misogynist, a bully who put “his” women on a pedestal only to knock them off it, a man who feared, as well as desired, the female body and who was a selfish, demanding, narcissistic husband, lover and even grandparent. You get the picture, recognise the cliche. But is any of it really true?

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