Late painter Pablo Picasso’s son, Claude Ruiz-Picasso, passes away at 76

Claude Ruiz-Picasso, the son of the world-renowned Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theater designer Pablo Picasso, breathed his last on Thursday in Switzerland. He was 76. His death was confirmed by Jean-Jacques Neuer, his lawyer.

Recognition of legitimacy

Pablo Picasso had two children, Claude and Paloma, from his tumultuous relationship with a 40-year-old younger French painter, Françoise Gilot. Picasso never denied being their father, but he severed all ties with Gilot and their children after her autobiography, ‘Life with Picasso,’ was published in 1964.

The children later sued in a French court to be recognised as legitimate children of Picasso. The French law, which changed around 1972 to give children born out of wedlock rights of inheritance, gave those rights to the siblings who won the court ruling in March 1974.

Early life

Claude Ruiz-Picasso was born on May 14, 1947, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Claude Ruiz-Picasso has lived in New York City since 1967. Over the next seven years, he completed his studies at the Actors Studio, where he worked as an assistant to fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon. Ruiz later opted for a career as a photojournalist. His work eventually appeared in Vogue, Saturday Review, Time, and Life magazines.

The Inheritance

According to a 2016 Vanity Fair article about the Picasso art empire, Citroen paid a reported $20 million, plus royalties, for the deal and had sold about 3.5 million Picasso cars at the time.
Pablo Picasso managed his vast estate for more than 30 years. In July, Ruiz-Picasso was replaced as estate administrator by Paloma Picasso, a renowned jewelry designer. His kids, Solal and Jasmin, as well as his wife, Sylvie Vautier Picasso, are now left behind.