In May 2021, local art teacher Maria Llopis led a group of her female students in what she called a “silent protest” at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. This involved walking around en masse in T-shirts bearing messages such as “Picasso, abuser of women” and “Picasso, Bluebeard” (the latter a comparison with the French fairytale character who murdered his wives).
Picasso was not guilty of uxoricide, of course, and no harm was done at the museum beyond raising the blood pressure of a few security guards. Llopis said she simply felt the need to protest against the lack of attention given to the artist’s historical mistreatment of women.
