Olga Khokhlova's father Stepan Khokhlov was a Colonel in the Russian Imperial Army.
17 Facts About Olga Khokhlova
2.
Olga Khokhlova decided to be a ballerina after being encouraged by a friend's sister who had joined the Diaghilev ballet.
3.
Olga Khokhlova studied in Saint Petersburg at a private ballet school and successfully auditioned to join the Ballets Russes of impresario Sergei Diaghilev, which became based in Paris.
4.
Olga Khokhlova was isolated and reliant on Picasso, having become trapped in Spain without a passport.
5.
Olga Khokhlova married Picasso on 12 July 1918, at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral at the Rue Daru in Paris.
6.
The wedding had been postponed from May 1918, due to Olga Khokhlova experiencing pain from a foot injury.
7.
On 4 February 1921, Olga Khokhlova gave birth to a boy named Paulo.
8.
Olga Khokhlova enjoyed the prestige of being Picasso's wife and the idea of a celebrity lifestyle.
9.
Olga Khokhlova continued to play the part of the conventional husband and father but continued his affair with his new mistress in secret.
10.
However, the trip caused Olga Khokhlova to become seriously ill again, resulting in the family returning to Paris on 5 September 1928.
11.
In 1930, Picasso purchased a chateau located an hour northwest of Paris named Boisgeloup, where Walter spent the week with him and Olga Khokhlova would visit with Paulo on weekends.
12.
Picasso's grandson, Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, considered that by this time, Olga Khokhlova knew about the affair.
13.
In 1935, Olga Khokhlova learned of the affair from a friend, who informed her that Walter was pregnant.
14.
Olga Khokhlova was devastated, filed for divorce, and immediately moved to the Hotel California with Paulo.
15.
Olga Khokhlova spent the next 20 years living in Parisian hotels, Boisgeloup and the South of France.
16.
Picasso refused to divide his property evenly with her, as required by French law, so Olga Khokhlova stayed legally married to him until her death from cancer in Cannes, France, on 11 February 1955.
17.
Olga Khokhlova was mistakenly buried in an English rather than a Russian cemetery.