Françoise Gilot, the former partner of legendary artist Pablo Picasso, first garnered international headlines as the mother of two of his children. She surprised everyone by escaping him, something many thought impossible. In 1943, a young Gilot, only 21 years of age, encountered the celebrated Picasso, who was 61 at that time. Their historic meeting took place in a seedy underground cafe in Paris. Picasso, ever the suitor, offered them to her in one hand. This great gesture cemented the beginning of a complicated and controversial relationship.
Gilot’s memoir, published in 1964, provided an unprecedented, candid look at her life with Picasso. Published in 1939, the scandalized Picasso was annoyed to learn that the book turned into an international bestseller. The artist—whose colossal ego was as undeniable as his artistic genius—was said to be outraged by Gilot’s disclosures. The French establishment did not waste long in coming to his defense. Despite the backlash, Gilot frequently shunned discussing Picasso after the release of her memoir. Instead, she used public as a way to further her own artistic career.
In a rare 2016 interview, Gilot went on record about her fixated defensiveness. She confided that she truly struggled to express herself, calling herself guarded and not wanting to let her real feelings out. Her reluctance likely protected her from further backlash. Perhaps just as importantly, it allowed her to shape her own image, independent from Picasso’s influence.
"No woman leaves a man like me," Picasso famously declared, encapsulating his disbelief that Gilot would end their relationship. Yet, she did just that.
After escaping Picasso, Gilot went on to marry the French painter Luc Simon. After her teens, she forged her own artistic path. From the Whitney museum to the Pompidou Centre in Paris, her work has been consistently entrusted to the most venerated institutions. While Picasso undoubtedly had an effect on her artistic development, Gilot had already established her own unique style prior to their meeting.
Like her artistic career, Gilot’s complex half-century romantic relationship with Picasso was a continual wellspring of fascination. Though complicated by their troubled connection, she became one of the fiercest artists in her own right. Her defiance of the conventional artistic expectations set upon women and her refusal to be dimmed by Picasso’s legacy buttressed her long-standing resilience and artistic integrity.