5. Picasso Gave Golden Phalluses to Prospective Lovers
Pablo Ruiz Picasso may be most famous for his Cubist paintings, but his romantic overtures are worth noting as well. Picasso saw many women throughout his long life of 91 years, and he continued courting women right up until the end. While in his 70s and 80s, Picasso adopted the habit of sculpting tokens of affection for women with whom he wished to become intimate. The little statuettes were gold and featured noticeably oversized phalluses.
Picasso crafted these figures in the home he shared with his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, with whom he stayed married until his death in 1973. He would also sometimes even hand out these figures, which were very clearly a calling card for a tryst, right in front of his wife. It is said that the women who received these figures in front of Jacqueline were never allowed back inside their home again.
While this may seem like a funny or quirky way to show interest, some of Picasso’s ways of showing interest earlier in his life were far more troubling. Locking a woman up, kidnapping another and driving multiple women to suicide would all be part of the tapestry of Picasso’s loves throughout his life.