7. Picasso Locked a Woman In His Apartment Over Jealousy
One of Picasso’s early lovers, before he married, was the bohemian artist Fernande Olivier. They moved in together in 1905. Picasso immediately demanded that she stop modeling for other artists. She had been posing for a sculpture by Francois Sicard that required future settings, and Picasso attempted to forbid her from going. He even went so far as to lock her in their apartment to physically stop her from modeling for Sicard.
Once Picasso established control over Olivier, she modeled exclusively for him. She was the muse and model for the early Cubist sculpture Head of Fernande. She also inspired a great deal of the artwork from his Rose Period, which heavily featured the colors red and orange alongside circus and harlequin imagery. The Rose Period was also when Picasso acquired his most influential patron in Gertrude Stein.
Olivier and Picasso’s relationship lasted for several years. Picasso continued to be jealous during their entire relationship, taking to locking her in their apartment more frequently so that she could not go out in public without him, which today would be considered domestic abuse. Their relationship ended when Olivier fell sick, and he began seeking other women. Despite his treatment, they remained friends.