Picasso and Dora: A Memoir

by James Lord

Overview

This fresh and vivid portrait of the postwar Paris art world, written by a member of Picasso's circle, sheds original new light on the greatest of modern artists and on the most important and least-known of his loves, the alluring and formidable photographer and painter Dora Maar.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374528355
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	12/31/2003
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

James Lord (1922-2009) first went to France at age twenty-one as a member of the Military Intelligence Service during World War II. He spent the major part of his life in Paris, where he was acquainted with many of the most prominent members of modern European art. In recognition of his contribution to French culture he has been made an officer of the Legion of Honour. His books include A Giacometti Portrait and My Queer War.

Editorial Reviews

Lord's memoir reflects on Paris, Dora Maar, and the larger-than-life Pablo Picasso. Author of two books on his friend Alberto Giacometti, Lord supplies a tantalizing stream of prose built on his journals, coaxing the reader into his vivid recollections of Paris under the occupation and Paris after the war. He paints an unflattering portrait of the great artist, while revealing his own relationship with Dora, Picasso's mistress. Picasso and Dora are not the whole subject of the story, however; Lord is really the main character. His impressions, homosexuality, and life are just as much the subject as Picasso and Dora. And his probing the mystery of Dora, though insistent, finally uncovers more mystery, although it may shed some light on an assortment of friends and acquaintances who are mentioned but given no real substance. Those interested in Picasso, Paris, and modern art will want to read this book. -- Ellen Bates, New York

Library Journal

As a young soldier at the end of World War II, Lord achieved his ambition of meeting Picasso. This elegantly written memoir recounts his subsequent intense and enduring relationship with the artist and with Picasso's mistress, Dora Maar, a legendary and reclusive figure. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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