Jaime Sabartés

Jaime Sabartés Gual (Catalan: Jaume Sabartés i Gual), born Barcelona 10 June 1881 died Paris 12 February 1968, was a Catalan Spanish artist, poet and writer. He was a close personal friend of Pablo Picasso and later became his secretary/administrator.

Sabartes was born at no 84 San Pedro Street in Barcelona. His father, Francisco Sabartés Obach was a primary schoolteacher originally from Oliana. His mother, María Gual Oromí, was born in Barcelona. According to Francoise Gilot, Sabartes was a cousin of Joan Miró. In 1901 Sabartes studied fine arts and sculpture under Manuel Fuxa, at the Escola de la Llotja and under the pen name of Jacobus Sabartés wrote prose and poetry and collaborated with the Joventut magazine. He was regular at the Quatre Gats, and he was part of Picasso’s group in Barcelona and Paris.

Sabartes moved to Guatemala in 1904 to stay with his maternal uncle Francisco Gual Oromí (1872-1931) who was a businessman. On 11 January 1908 Sabartes married Rosa Corzo Robles, who was the daughter of the owners of the house where he was resident. Sabartes moved to New York in 1912 but returned to Guatemala in 1913. His son Jesus Sabartés Mario Robles was born in 1914. During his time in Guatemala Sabartes organised several major exhibitions of modern art featuring Picasso and other artists as well as teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts and editing the Journal "Central America". During the celebrations of the centenary of Guatemalan independence Sabartes was on the jury for an art prize which was won by Humberto Garavito.

Sabartes returned to Barcelona in 1927 to obtain medical treatment for his son. Sabartes separated from his wife in 1928 leaving her his wealth and eloped with his young girlfriend named Mercedes Iglesias, they both travelled to Paris to visit Picasso and request financial support to embark to Montevideo, Uruguay, where Sabartés practiced journalism for the newspaper El Dia.

Sabartes met Picasso in 1899 and they remained close until Sabartes' death. In 1899 Picasso painted his first portrait of Sabartes, which is now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow. At Picasso's request, Sabartes moved to rue la Boétie in Paris in November 1935 and became Picasso's full-time secretary, organising his papers, books and poems, and was responsible for arranging his exhibitions. Sabartes collected a great many works by Picasso which he donated to the Museu Picasso in Barcelona in 1963 forming the core of this gallery which was initially known as the Sabartes collection. His books and papers were donated to the Museo Picasso Málaga.

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