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When I painted Olga Khokhlova, I knew her mainly through Picasso’s portraits and the story of their marriage.

I gave her my colours and painted a small ballerina beside her, although I had yet to discover quite how much that dancer mattered.

Writing this Thursday Women story took me back to Olga before Picasso: her years with the Ballets Russes, the family from whom she was separated, and the letters and photographs that allow us to see something of her life beyond his paintings. It also made me look at my own portrait of her differently.

Read my full story about Olga on Substack

You can also see prints of my Olga painting here