Picasso’s Lovers

• Cristina Vatielli

The exhibition of photographs by Cristina Vatielli, curated by Annalisa D’Angelo, draws inspiration from the theatrical work Loves of Picasso by Terry D’Alfonso. Eight large portraits represent the women who mostly influenced the sentimental and artistic life of Picasso: Olga Khokhlova, Eva Gouel, Fernande Olivier, Marie Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Francoise Gilot, Gaby Depeyre, Jacqueline Roque.

The photographer declares: “I choose the self-portrait for the desire of loosing myself in the character of each of these women, who were deeply unlike, but necessarily connected by the completely captivating love for the same man”.

The analysis of the character and the psychology of the lovers suggested the locations of the shootings, as reflection of their soul. The costumes, realized by Fabric Factory, date from the first half of the 1900 and in the photographic transposition become actual explanation of their story.

Almost all of them were submitted by the power of the love they dedicated to the painter, often with dramatic consequences. Very attractive women, some belonging to the world of the artists, some others extremely young and ignoring who they were facing, they became in turns – but also more than one at a time – his muses, models, mistress, sacrificial victims.

Cristina Vatielli was born in Rome. She began working in the photography field as an assistant mainly specialized in photo postproduction. Since 2004 Cristina has been collaborating with Paolo Pellegrin and many others photographers. After she was represented by Prospekt agency, she works now as a freelancer. In 2009 she won the Enzo Baldoni Award and in the 2012 the multimedia “LunaPark” won the Honorable Mention in Moving Images of the IPA (International Photography Awards). Her last project Le Donne di Picasso have received recognition by IPA, MIFA (Moscow International Foto Awards) and Sony Awards.

DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE (PDF)

Cristina Vatielli
Jacqueline Roque

Cristina Vatielli
Gaby Depeyre

Cristina Vatielli
Olga Khokhlova

Cristina Vatielli
Marie Therese Walter