Christine Ruiz-Picasso, widow of Paul Ruiz-Picasso and driving force behind the Museo Picasso Málaga, has died at 97 in her home in Provence, France. Museum sources confirmed her death on Monday. Her determination led to the gallery's opening in 2003, fulfilling Pablo Picasso's wish.
Christine Ruiz-Picasso, born in France in 1928, was the daughter-in-law of Málaga-born painter Pablo Picasso and widow of his eldest son, Paul. She died at her Provence home, museum sources said.
Her connection to Málaga started with a 1954 visit alongside her husband. In 1992, after seeing the Picasso Clásico exhibition, she pushed for a museum in the artist's birthplace, overcoming political hurdles and donating 233 works with her son Bernard. The gallery opened in 2003 at the Palacio de Buenavista, directed by Carmen Giménez.
"I don't want to be treated like Saint Christine; I just fulfilled Pablo's wish," she said in 1994. Art historian Eugenio Carmona described her as "fascinating, with an impressive character." Bernard Ruiz-Picasso said in 2023: "We have been very fortunate in life, so we believe we must also give."
She received honors including Hija Predilecta de Andalucía in 2003, and the museum's auditorium bears her name since 2023. Mayor Francisco de la Torre called her "the architect of the city's cultural boost," while president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla praised her "unforgettable determination".
