Life with Pablo

How does it feel to have great modern art around the house? Jean and Huguette Ramie have their own answer. When the two young artists were about to be married in 1951, their friend and neighbor Pablo Picasso slipped into their modest apartment in Vallauris, north of Cannes, and by way of a wedding present proceeded to decorate the drab walls. His sketches were charming and nonabstract. In an odd corner he painted a thoroughly representational bloomer girl, to remind Jean of his bachelor days. In the bedroom he put a nude, and in the kitchen, still lifes of fish and fowl. In the living room the master did a ten-ft. allegorical mural in which Huguette Ramie is a medieval lady waving to Jean, a knight in shining armor.

Then the Ramies' troubles started. Reporters and photographers came from all over the world to record their treasure. When their baby reached toddling and scribbling age, the walls attracted him powerfully. Huguette spent most of her time keeping little Francois from improving on the master's work. The Ramies looked longingly at a nearby cottage, but their friends told them they would be insane to leave the most wonderfully decorated apartment in the world.

Another baby came last year, and the strain grew too much. The Ramies moved out, and last week their priceless rooms were empty except for the Picassos on the walls. But Jean still pays the rent for his old home. He thinks it is a nice place to visit.

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