Pablo Picasso First Wife: Who Is Olga Khokhlova?

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France.

One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture.

Who Is Olga Khokhlova?

Khokhlova was born in the town of Nizhyn, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) on 17 June 1891. Her father Stepan Khokhlov was a Colonel in the Russian Imperial Army. Her mother Lydia Zinchenko was of Ukrainian descent.

The Khokhlov family had three sons and two daughters. Olga decided to be a ballerina after being encouraged by a friend’s sister who had joined the Diaghilev ballet.

After meeting Picasso, Khokhlova left the group, which toured South America, and stayed in Barcelona with him. He introduced her to his family. At first, his mother disapproved of the idea of having Khokhlova as a daughter-in-law. However, Khokhlova was intent on marrying Picasso.