Fernande Olivier

Fernande Olivier (born Amélie Lang; 6 June 1881 – 29 January 1966) was a French artist and model known primarily for having been the model and first muse of painter Pablo Picasso, and for her written accounts of her relationship with him. Picasso painted over 60 portraits of Olivier.

Early years

Olivier was born in Paris on 6 June 1881 of an out-of-wedlock relationship between her mother and a married man. She was raised by an aunt and uncle, who attempted to arrange a marriage for her. Instead, Olivier ran away and married a man who abused her. In 1900, when she was 19 years old, she left her husband without a formal divorce and moved to Paris. She changed her name so that her husband could not find her.

Olivier quickly found work modeling for artists and was known in Montmartre as "La Belle Fernande". She was a fixture in the circle of friends of writer Guillaume Apollinaire, where she also became friends with Paul Léautaud, Kees van Dongen and Edmond-Marie Poullain. Van Dongen in particular painted her several times.

Relationship with Picasso She met Picasso at the Bateau-Lavoir, 13 Rue de Ravignan in 1904, and by the next year they were living together. Their relationship lasted seven years and was characterized by its tempestuousness. Both Olivier and Picasso were jealous lovers, and their passions sometimes exploded into violence. Picasso would often lock Olivier in their apartment when he went out due to his jealousy. Olivier wrote in her diary, "Picasso, due to a sort of morbid jealousy, kept me as a recluse. But with tea, books, a divan and little cleaning to do, I was happy, very happy."

Olivier was Picasso's first muse. In the spring and summer of 1906, following some sales of artwork, the couple were able to finance a trip to Barcelona and to the remote village of Gósol in the Spanish Pyrenees. In Barcelona Fernande was introduced to Picasso's family and local friends. In Gósol Picasso worked prolifically including executing several portraits of Fernande. Later, among his most notable works of his Cubist period from 1907 to 1909, several were inspired by Olivier. These include Head of a Woman (Fernande). He later admitted that one of the Demoiselles d'Avignon was modeled after her. The small family did not last, however, and upon discovering explicit drawings of Raymonde made by Picasso, Olivier sent the girl back to the orphanage. Olivier made no mention of Raymonde in her memoirs.

The couple briefly stayed in Barcelona and then, in 1909, spent the summer in Horta de Sant Joan, where Olivier learned some Catalan. They returned to Paris, but moved to 11 Boulevard de Clichy. In 1910, they returned to Catalonia for a holiday and also spent time in Barcelona and Cadaqués. She died on 29 January 1966 in Paris at the age of 84.