The only woman who left Pablo Picasso: who is Francoise Gilot?

The history of art is full of interesting works, movements and discussions. Undoubtedly, in the history of art there are interesting artists who receive and do not receive the attention they deserve. Here is the French artist Françoise Gilot, one of the interesting names in the history of art, “on the corner.” Despite the precious pieces that she created throughout her life, today Gilot is remembered by a completely different name: the only woman who left Pablo Picasso! Yes, after the artist passed away at the age of 101, his relationship with Picasso, full of ups and downs, and his personal creative path is back on the agenda. Here’s what you need to know about Françoise Gilot, who made art history as the only woman to leave Picasso.

Françoise Gilot was born on November 26, 1921 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, the capital of France.

Mother Gilot, who opened her eyes to life in a very rich house, was interested in various branches of art, such as painting and ceramics. For this reason, Gilot’s first exposure to art came early in his life. However, his father had very different plans for Zhilo.

In 1938 he entered the University of Paris. Due to his father’s pressure and perseverance, he declared his love for art and agreed to his father’s demands.

After completing his education in France, he received a degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and returned to France to pursue his father’s last ambitions and study law.

In 1941, the passion for art won! Françoise Gilot took a break from her legal studies and focused on painting.

At this time, Paris was occupied by the Nazis, and Gilot, like many intellectuals and artists, strongly opposed the occupation. In this political environment, he decided to give up his law degree and focus on the study of art.

Fully turning to art and painting, Françoise Gilot began taking lessons from the Hungarian artist Endre Rozd.

Although Gilot’s turn to art caused him to have heated arguments with his father, it was too late for everything. Gilot took private lessons from famous artists and spent his days at the art academies of Paris. The meeting that completely changed Gilot’s life occurred at a time when he began to get involved in the world of art.

In 1943, she accidentally met Pablo Picasso.

In May 1943, Gilot was having lunch with a group of friends at a small restaurant in Paris. However, this place had a distinct difference from all the other restaurants in Paris. The restaurant was very close to the studio of the world famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in Paris.

For this reason, Picasso was also among the regulars of the restaurant. This string of coincidences resulted in the two names meeting on the same day, at the same time, in the same restaurant. This is how the duet met, which will become one of the unforgettable couples in the history of art…

When they first met, Gilot was 22 and Picasso was 62.

Moreover, he was married to the Spanish artist Marie-Thérèse Walter and was in love with the French artist Dora Maar! However, when they first met, they developed a special relationship.

Upon learning that Gilot was also an artist, Picasso invited the girl to his studio. Of course, Gilot, a young artist candidate, did not refuse this offer of the world famous painter, he often visited the Spanish painter with his artist friends, and sometimes alone.

The romance between them officially began in 1944.

Gilot moved in with Picasso in 1946 and the two artists fell in love and began to live together. Of course, this union was also a very important turning point in Zhilo’s creative life. He had the opportunity to closely observe the production processes, understand the art and works of one of the most important artists in history.

However, at no time in his artistic life did he ever try to “be like Picasso.” On the contrary, he continued to create works with his unique understanding of art until the end of his life.

The couple, who were together for 10 years, had two children, Claude and Paloma.

However, the relationship of the couple did not go well. Finally, Gilot decided to end this unhappy relationship.

She left Pablo Picasso on September 20, 1953.

Gilot also included details of the moment of separation in his book Life with Picasso, which he wrote in 1964. Accordingly, Picasso’s first reaction to Gilot’s request to leave was:No woman will leave a man like me.” happened.

Gilot, on the other hand, reacted to this reaction. “Maybe it is, but I’m the woman to do it and I’m going to do it!” responded with a sentence. It was this separation that made Gilot one of the most famous women in the history of art. Because she really did what no woman could do, she was the first and only woman to leave Pablo Picasso!

Françoise Gilot settled in the US after the famous breakup

He was interested in art history and wrote a series of books, especially Life with Picasso. Picasso even made several attempts to prevent the publication of this book in France, but to no avail. In subsequent years, Gilot’s paintings participated in reputable exhibitions in different countries of the world, especially in the USA.

Françoise Gilot, the only woman to leave Pablo Picasso, died in 2023 at the age of 101.

Despite years of being in the shadow of Picasso, the news of the death of Gilot, who managed to achieve a unique position in the history of art, was shared by his daughter named Aurelia Engel. Zhilo struggled with heart and liver disease for some time.

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