In Hidden Portraits, Sue Roe reveals the remarkable stories of the six leading women in Picasso’s life . . . It’s a compelling tale . . . Parts will be familiar . . . and much has been written and said about Picasso the monster. What sets Roe apart is her carefully considered, collective approach to repositioning these women who for too long have been sidelined as silent muses . . . [a] brilliantly insightful and well-written book.

Hidden Portraits follows the lives of the six main women in Picasso’s life . . . Roe illuminate[s] the individual stories of these women, who’ve often been dismissed, she writes, as “adjuncts to the artist’s story… supporters, companions and muses.” The nuance of her approach is refreshing and admirable . . . One of Roe’s accomplishments is that she draws out how each of these women influenced Picasso’s work: and how they correspond to different periods . . . [her] voice lends itself to beautiful descriptions of Picasso’s work . . . and her lively prose evokes Paris, and Europe, in the early 20th century.

Long overdue, Sue Roe’s biography brings Picasso’s lovers and muses from the shadows into the limelight... Roe describes these women’s often unhappy backgrounds, their time with Picasso, and the indelible and life-changing impact their relationships had on his work and reputation.