She was only two when her father abandoned her mother and her five-year-old brother, André Pierre Georges Roque (born November 1924).

Her mother raised her in cramped concierge's quarters near the Champs Elysées, while also working long hours as a seamstress.

[4] At the age of 26, she had taken the role of salesperson in the company's store and was located near to the entrance, where Picasso easily noticed her.

[5] He romanced her by drawing a dove on her house in chalk and bringing her one rose a day until she agreed to date him.

[6] Françoise Gilot, Picasso's partner at the time, broke off their relationship at the end of September 1953 and left for Paris with their two children.

Patrick O'Brian, a friend of the Lazermes’, recalled that the next morning Roque left to drive to Golfe-Juan, but would stop every hour to speak to Picasso.

[8] By the end of 1957, Picasso was searching for a new home due to the rise of nearby developments, and bought Château of Vauvenargues in 1958.

[9] To celebrate their marriage, the couple moved to a villa named Notre-Dame-de-Vie, situated on a hillside near Mougins, where Picasso spent his final 12 years.

Eventually her dark eyes and eyebrows, high cheekbones, and classical profile would become familiar symbols in his late paintings.

Art critic, Richard Dorment stated, "she would sit in a darkened room, sobbing, or address a photograph of her husband as though he were still alive".

[13] Richardson observed that whenever he visited Roque after the death of Picasso, she would be utterly distraught, often requiring a doctor to administer tranquillisers.

[15] Françoise Gilot, Picasso's companion between 1943 and 1953,[16] and mother of two of his children, Claude and Paloma,[17] fought with Jacqueline over the distribution of the artist's estate.

[7] She shot herself, with Picasso’s gun, on 15 October 1986[7] in their Mougins home, the chateau where they had spent their married life together;[13] she was 60 years old.

[7] Shortly before her death she had confirmed that she would be present at an upcoming exhibit of her private collection of Picasso's work in Spain.

Arne Glimcher, founder of the Pace Gallery commented, "The range of interpretation of her image is quite extraordinary [...] you see the transformation of his late style only through these portraits of Jacqueline.