Françoise Gilot, painter and printmaker and onetime muse to Picasso, celebrated her 100th birthday on November 26, 2021. The Muskegon Museum of Art holds special ties to Gilot, hosting her on two occasions in the 1900s and holding over 80 of her works, including paintings, lithographs, drawings, and gouaches, in its permanent collection. This recently acquired drawing brings a very early perspective to our Gilot collection and highlights a critical moment in her life.
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Genevieve is a fine example of a figurative style that pervades Gilot’s work over her career. Dated 1942, this ink on paper drawing is a portrait of Gilot’s friend Genevieve, who was present when Gilot first met Picasso and accompanied her on her first visit to the artist’s studio. Gilot first met Picasso in May of 1943, so this piece predates their relationship, though Gilot was well aware of his paintings and prints prior to their encounter.
Gilot was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and pursued art in her early childhood, beginning with lessons from her mother, a watercolor painter. Her father, who wanted Gilot to be a lawyer, insisted she be highly educated so she was tutored in the home. A gifted child and fiercely independent, she excelled at her studies and pursuit of art. She received a BA in Philosophy from the Sarbonne in 1938 and a degree in English from Cambridge in 1939. Despite her father’s pressure she continued to paint and had her first exhibition in Paris in 1943.
Gilot began law school in 1939 but after several attempts to quit failed her oral exams and finally dedicated herself completely to her art. In 1943, at the age of 21, she met the 61 year old Pablo Picasso and moved in with him in 1946. Gilot became Picasso’s new muse and the mother of two children, Claude and Paloma. She also formed a good friendship with Matisse. Gilot stayed with Picasso until 1953 when, no longer willing to endure his temper and abuse, became the only woman to leave him. She was briefly married to painter Luc Simon from 1955-1961, giving birth to a daughter, Aurélia. Picasso took the breakup and Gilot’s marriage badly and worked actively to undermine her career, even going so far as to pressure her art dealer to cancel her contract. She was able to join a new gallery and continued to exhibit in Paris and increasingly internationally. In 1964 she published Life with Picasso, detailing her time with the artist. The enraged Picasso sued – unsuccessfully- several times to stop publication and refused to see his children again. Gilot married Jonas Salk in 1969 and split her time between studios in La Jolla, New York, and Paris. She also lived briefly in Michigan and many of her works can be found in private collections around the state.