Françoise Gilot is one of the most enduring artists of the post World War II School of Paris.

She is probably best known as Picasso's Muse...

She decided at the age of five that she wanted to be an artist.

Her career has since been interwoven with the evolution of modern art in the 20th Century.

Even at the young age of 21, Françoise Gilot was one of the most respected artists of the emerging School of Paris.

Then, in 1943, during the time of her first important exhibition in Paris, Françoise met Pablo Picasso, an artist 40 years her senior.

In 1946, Gilot and Picasso began a decade long relationship.

Their circle included poets, philosophers, writers, and many of the legends of the art world, such as Braque, Chagall, Cocteau, and Matisse.

This artistic union was also shared with their two children, Claude and Paloma - whose antics and acrobatic postures were often captured in drawings and paintings.

By late 1953, the relationship with Picasso had run its course and Gilot left the home she shared with him in Vallauris and returned to Paris with their children.

Eleven years after their separation Gilot wrote Life with Picasso, a book that sold over one million copies in dozens of languages despite an unsuccessful legal challenge from Picasso attempting to stop its publication.

She now lives in New York City and Paris, and continues to exhibit her work internationally including the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

As such: artwork by Picasso's Muse, Francoise Gilot, is highly desirable.

And compared to that of Picasso it is still very much achievable for Art Collectors.

After all, a signed Picasso print will likely set you back $50,000 in today's market.

If you wanted a Picasso hand-drawn self portrait like this I guess you'd be looking at $1m+.

It's why Françoise Gilot is so popular at the moment.

She was both a witness and a participant in one of the last great periods of the modern art movement in Europe.

This ink self portrait on white card shows the abstract style developed during her time with Pablo Picasso.

It measures 3½ x 4½ and bears a striking autograph at the lower righthand corner away from the image.

 

For sale: �10,000 ($16,500) SOLD. Sorry, this item has already been sold. To be the first to receive news alerts for new stock items please sign up for your free newsletter at the top of the page.

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For further information please email adrianroose@paulfrasercollectibles.com or telephone +44 (0) 117 933 9503