Picasso’s ‘girl with the ponytail’ says ‘being his own living muse is a blessing’

In Picasso’s ‘Sylvette’ series, the ‘girl with the ponytail’ is an enigmatic presence in more than 40 of the artist’s drawings, sculptures and paintings. For French artist, former model and Picasso’s only living muse, Sylvette David (now Lydia Corbett), the immortalisation marked a positive, fruitful and creative period.

‘It was like magic,’ says Corbett now of what it was like to work with Picasso. ‘Like a fairy tale because I was very shy and very simple, I never said a word. We would sit quietly, he would paint me as I looked over the hills of Vallauris. It was like contemplation, sitting still in the present moment. He would stop now and again for a break – his studio was an old pottery and he had an old barn with his Hispano Suiza car in it. He opened the door and sat inside. He asked me to join him and I wondered, shall I go in or not, and I did.

‘He talked about his life and his friends, the things he loved, but he had such a strong accent I couldn’t understand everything, and when you are young you are afraid to ask questions. It wasn’t like working, I learnt so much in his presence without words. I learnt about painting by seeing him do it. He told me that creativity is happiness.’

Picasso's muse: ‘Picasso gave me the wish to paint on anything’

After their initial meeting in 1954, the then-Sylvette became a familiar presence across Picasso’s work, with original photographs and homewares depicting her the subject of a recent Christie’s London sale. The wider impact of her healthy, wholesome image also reverbrated across cultural society more generally, with Brigitte Bardot inspired to replicate her classic ponytail.

‘He has opened doors for me and that is a blessing,’ adds Corbett. ‘I am in awe when I see his works about me. Throughout the years, our friendship has opened more and more doors. Doors into the inner life, especially now as my vision is not good. I have a fondness for him when I paint my own portrait now; it gives me so much joy. The ponytail girl is with me forever.’

Corbett, who will celebrate her 90th birthday this year, is currently showcasing her own paintings and ceramics at an exhibition at Kunsthalle Messmer. ‘As I lived in Vallauris, it was full of potteries and I saw many ceramics of all sorts. I saw Picasso’s piñatas and other pots and vases he painted at Madoura Pottery. I have been painting on pots recently that have been collected and enjoy it very much.

‘Picasso gave me the wish to paint on anything. To create with just a piece of wood, a stone and a piece of metal. I paint on driftwood and bottles, and of course, walls. I have painted on clocks, and furniture and a guitar too. My house is full of frescoes – really, my whole life has been in the arts and very creative.’

‘Three Strong Women – Niki de Saint Phalle – Sylvette David – Elvira Bach’ is on at Kunsthalle Messmer, Riegel am Kaiserstuhl, Germany, until 24 November 2024

kunsthallemessmer.de