Henriette Théodora Markovitch, known as Dora Maar (Tours, 19 - Lot 103

Henriette Théodora Markovitch, known as Dora Maar (Tours, 1907 - Paris, 1997) Study of cats Pen and black ink 3& x 24 cm Studio sale stamp on back (1998) The only daughter of a Croatian-born architect, Dora Maar (who gave herself this pseudonym in the 1930s) attended the Ecole de Photographie, the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs and André Lhote's studio. Initially a photographer, she met Cartier-Bresson and shared a darkroom with Brassaï. In 1936, Paul Eluard introduced her to Picasso, and she became his principal model and lover until 1943. She assisted him in the production of Guernica, photographing its successive stages. But Picasso's violence and humiliations led to a deep nervous breakdown, for which she was treated by Jacques Lacan. In the post-war years, she retired to the Vaucluse region and began a career as a painter and draughtswoman, which remained confidential: her work was only revealed to the public at the studio sales following her death, after a solitary end to her life.