In a letter to his mother, French writer, filmmaker and artist Jean Cocteau described Rome's luxurious Hotel de Russie as "paradise on Earth"—a place where he could pick oranges from his courtyard window while chatting with the man staying next door. So, who was that friendly neighbor? None other than Pablo Picasso.
The Spanish artist had been eager to arrive in Cocteau's idyllic Italy, escaping the somber atmosphere of World War I France. Most of his friends had either enlisted or fled, leaving Picasso alone in Avignon without his creative fraternity. Painter George Braque, for example, had been sent to the front; historian Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler was forced into exile; poet Guillaume Apollinaire returned from battle, although severely wounded.
The courtyard at the Hotel de Russie.
So, toward the end of the war, Picasso relocated to Rome for a three-month respite. He spent his days exploring the Eternal City, even renting a small studio steps away from the hotel on Via Margutta. It was here that Picasso grew close with Serge Diaghilev, the Russian art patron credited with discovering composer Igor Stravinsky.
Together, the famous friends began working on a ballet—the world's first Cubist ballet, to be exact. It was to be performed by Diaghilev's famous Ballet Russes, with Picasso leading set design and costumes while Cocteau focused on narrative.
Many believe it was this project that led Picasso to meet his future wife, ballerina Olga Kholkholva, whom he married in Biarritz the following year. By now, though, the war was over and the newlyweds returned to France, where Kholkholva introduced Picasso to high society and the never-ending party that was Paris in the 1920s.
Kholkholva, Picasso and Cocteau in Rome in 1918.
Back in Rome, the hotel where Picasso once lived fell into a dark period. During the second World War, it was seized by the Italian military and turned into offices. For approximately half a century after, the hundreds-year-old palazzo was the headquarters of Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), an Italian TV station. In 2000, finally, it was acquired by Rocco Forte Hotels, who restored the building to its original status as a luxury hotel.
To celebrate the centennial of Picasso's visit—and it's Rocco Forte-led return to glamour—the five-star hotel has unveiled an exclusive exhibition of the artist's work. Through February 28, guests of the establishment can view works from a private Picasso collection. This includes engravings from a series called "La Celestine," (shown below) which illustrate the 16th-century satirical tragedy attributed to the Spanish author Fernando de Rojas.
Guests looking for the full Picasso experience can also opt for one of the hotel's personalized tours exploring the artist's favorite Roman haunts, including the nearby Piazza di Spagna, or splurge for the newly renovated, $3,025/night Picasso Suite (the actual room where the artist resided one hundred years ago; shown below). The space was recently re-envisioned by Olga Polizzi, the woman responsible for Rocco Forte Hotel's luxuriously designed properties around the world.
Visit Rocco Forte Hotels for more information on the Picasso celebration.
