Françoise Gilot, a renowned artist who recently passed away at the age of 101, has left behind a remarkable artistic legacy spanning over 80 years. Her body of work includes paintings, collages, ceramics, drawings, lithographs, poetry, and prose. However, celebrating Gilot’s achievements poses a dilemma, as she is often defined in relation to her 10-year relationship with Pablo Picasso. Many articles and tributes fail to recognize Gilot as an individual artist, overshadowing her own talent and accomplishments.
Fortunately, there is a growing awareness and desire to redefine art history, embracing a more nuanced and inclusive approach. The Brooklyn Museum in New York is challenging conventional narratives with its exhibition “It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby,” curated by the Australian standup comedian who has critiqued Picasso in her routines.
After leaving Picasso in 1953, Gilot faced backlash from the French establishment when she published her proto-feminist memoir, “Life With Picasso.” The book, which sold millions of copies and was translated into multiple languages, triggered what Gilot referred to as “Picasso’s war on me.” Even today, nearly 70 years later, the influence of Picasso continues to loom over Gilot’s career in France, her home country.
To truly understand Françoise Gilot and her remarkable achievements, we must confront and dismantle the myths that stem from her relationship with Picasso. We need to acknowledge that she was not merely an extension of Picasso but a talented artist in her own right. In fact, she was never particularly drawn to Picasso’s art, crediting Henri Matisse as her main source of inspiration and influence.
It is crucial to recognize Gilot’s impact on Picasso as well. She played a pivotal role in his venture into ceramics, having already mastered the medium herself. Gilot’s resistance to being absorbed into Picasso’s artistic world is evident in her series of self-portraits, where she reclaims her image and asserts herself as a source of creativity. Her defiance is further exemplified in a painting titled “Adam Forcing Eve to Eat an Apple I,” where Picasso is portrayed as an angry figure forcing a fruit into Eve’s mouth.
Gilot referred to Picasso as “Bluebeard” because of his desire to possess and control the women in his life. She endured Picasso’s cruelty and abuse before becoming the only one of his partners to leave him, taking their two children with her. Picasso retaliated by destroying her possessions, including artworks, books, and cherished letters from Matisse. He also orchestrated a campaign to demolish her career, using his influence to blacklist her.
Following the publication of “Life With Picasso,” Gilot’s path became even more treacherous. Picasso filed multiple lawsuits to suppress the memoir, and many prominent intellectuals and artists sided with him, petitioning for the book to be banned. This aggressive intervention from Picasso, often excused as the behavior of a moody genius, is now recognized as the actions of a bully.
Gilot described the aftermath as “civil death” when her work was boycotted, forcing her to abandon her homeland and rebuild her life elsewhere. She found success in the United States, exhibiting her work and establishing herself as a respected artist. Themes of displacement and wanderlust permeate her art, reflecting her own experiences.
Despite her international recognition, Gilot faced a persistent disregard in France, which lasted until her death. To this day, she has never been given a major retrospective in her home country, even as she reached the milestone of turning 100 years old in 2021. The Musée Estrine in St Rémy de Provence broke this trend with a small exhibition showcasing around 50 of Gilot’s works, yet a major retrospective still eludes her in France.
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