At times, the dog was merely a silent witness to family scenes recorded by Duncan, as when Picasso amused his children by making — and wearing — a grotesque mask, and when he entertained Yves Montand and Simone Signoret over lunch. On other occasions, Lump was the center of attention as Claude and Paloma played with him in Picasso's studio.
It was clearly an idyllic year for both dog and children. But in time, as Picasso squabbled with Gilot over their children's right to his name, he began distancing himself from them. And in December 1963, shortly before Gilot further infuriated him by publishing her memoir, Life With Picasso, he — or perhaps Roque — forbade Claude and Paloma from visiting him.
That was also the year Lump's life changed. During a visit with Picasso, Duncan learned that Lump was unwell, suffering a spinal problem common to dachshunds, and was being treated by a vet in Cannes. Duncan visited Lump and, told that the dog could not be cured, took him home.
Duncan did not give up. He drove Lump to Stuttgart, Germany, where he had acquired the dog seven years earlier. And he found a vet willing to look after Lump. One year later, Duncan recovered the dog. After that, when Duncan visited Picasso, Lump did not come along.
So, Duncan was asked, in the end, did Picasso neglect Lump?
“No,” Duncan insisted, “he'd have gotten sick anyway. Lump had an absolutely pampered life there. Picasso once said, ‘Lump, he's not a dog, he's not a little man, he's somebody else.’ Picasso had many dogs, but Lump was the only one he took in his arms.”
In April 1973, Duncan lost two dear friends almost simultaneously: Lump died one week before Picasso.
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