Who Was Francoise Gilot? Prolific Painter Who Left Pablo Picasso Passes Away

Francoise Gilot, a French painter who is also known as the muse of Pablo Picasso passed away aged 101. The accomplished artist is known for her turbulent relationship with Picasso and for leaving him.

Gilot passed away on Tuesday, June 6, passed away in a hospital in New York City. Her daughter, Aurelia Engel confirmed the artist's passing.

Engel told The Associated Press that her mother passed away after suffering lung and heart problems.

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Who Was Francoise Gilot?

The French painter Francoise Gilot was born on November 26, 1921, and was an accomplished artist when she met Pablo Picasso. Despite her acclaim for her art, she was still best known for her relationship with Picasso.

The painter was introduced to art when she was 5 years old by her mother and grandmother.

Gilot, 21, met Picasso when he was 61, and their relationship overshadowed Gilot's artistic talent. It is believed that after Gilot left Picasso after 10 years of being together, he told art dealers not to purchase her art.

Francoise Gilot's artwork in Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne

Francoise Gilot and Pablo Picasso never married but had two children together, Claude and Paloma.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, Gilot said she was not "a prisoner" in their relationship. She said when she told him that she would leave when she wanted, Picasso replied, "Nobody leaves a man like me." Gilot told him, "We'll see."

On top of being an acclaimed artist, Francoise Gilot also wrote several books. Her 1964 memoir Life With Picasso was her most popular book. Picasso attempted to ban its publication but failed.

After leaving Picasso, Gilot rebuilt her life and continued to paint, exhibit her work, and wrote books. In 1955, two years after leaving Picasso, Gilot married artist Luc Simon and the couple welcomed their daughter Aurelia Engel the next year. The couple got divorced in 1962.

Gilot then met Jonas Salk in 1969 and got married the next year. The couple stayed together until Salk passed away in 1995.

Francoise Gilot's art increased in value over the years and has been displayed in several prominent museums. Her 1965 painting Paloma à la Guitare was sold in 2021 for a whopping 1.3 million dollars.

In 2010, the artist was awarded the French government's highest honour for the arts, Officer of the Legion d'honneur.