By Lucia Newman. CNN Havana Bureau Chief.
CNN. December 28, 2000.
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Delia Picasso and her relatives used to joke about
their last name, but no more.
"When I told people my name, they would ask jokingly, 'Are you a
relative of the famous painter?'" Elvira Guillermina Picasso said. "And
I would answer back, 'Yes,' ... as a joke, of course."
From now on, it's no joke.
Three years ago, while trying to fill gaps in the Spanish painter's life
history, the Pablo Picasso Foundation tracked down his Cuban relatives.
According to the foundation, Pablo Picasso's grandfather, Francisco, sailed
to Cienfuegos, Cuba, in 1864, abandoning a family in Malaga, Spain, that would
produce the renowned Cubist painter and sculptor.
There he met a free black woman, Cristina Serra, with whom he had four
children.
Although Delia is first cousin to Pablo Picasso, who was born in 1881 and
died in 1973, she never heard about her Spanish ancestors while growing up.
"Our ancestors were very poor, and in those days they had no means,"
she said. "They simply brought us up as best they could."
Racial taboos
Delia's nephew, Ramon Picasso, a radiologist in Cuba's largest pediatric
hospital, believes racial taboos have kept quiet information about their Spanish
heritage.
"Back in those days, the union of a black woman with a white man during
the conflict between Cuba and Spain, ... well, it was very unusual, very
complicated," he said.
Francisco Picasso, Pablo Picasso's grandfather, abandoned his family in
Spain and moved to Cuba, where he fathered four children with a black woman
Today, the "Black Picassos," as they call themselves, are thrilled
about their connection to the artist.
Even before hearing the news, Luis Picasso, another of the artist's Cuban
cousins, kept a clipping printed with the name "Picasso" in his
wallet. He found the coincidence in their last names amusing, he said.
"For me, its very satisfying to discover this kind of family
relationship," Luis Picasso said.
Ramon Picasso, the only family member to visit Spain, says Pablo Picasso
knew about his Cuban relatives and unsuccessfully tried to contact them.
Despite their famous bloodline, only one of the 30 Cuban Picassos has shown
any interest in art.
"Genius can't be reproduced genetically," Ramon Picasso said. "A
genius is a genius, and that's what Pablo was."
© 2000 Cable News Network. | 