Françoise Gilot studied English Literature at Cambridge University, and then, encouraged by her father, studied international law, though she secretly also took art lessons at the same time.
In 1943, during her first exhibition in Paris, Gilot (then 21) met Pablo Picasso (who was 61) for the first time. In 1946, Gilot started a 10-year relationship with him and had two of his children, Claude and Paloma.
As a result of her relationship with Picasso, Gilot became both a witness and a participant in one of the last great periods of the modern art movement in Europe. Their circle included poets, philosophers, writers, and many of the legends of the art world, such as Braque, Chagall, Cocteau and Matisse.
In 1953, Gilot left Picasso and the home they shared in Vallauris and moved back to Paris.
"Lithographs are printed from stones and each stone is an echo of my artistic voice," said Gilot. "Many artists use their art as a personal catharsis. I have never done that. I am more intellectual. Each artistic process — oils, lithographs, monotypes — allows me a different freedom and suits a different mood."
While Gilot did her first lithograph in 1950 at the Mourlot Atelier, the same studio used by Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró and Jean Dubuffet, it was in the 1970s that she really began to experiment with the process.
"In the beginning, I turned to lithography because I wanted to show off my technical skills. Now I am more interested in color," said Gilot. "I also thought that lithographs would make my works more accessible to young collectors."
Gilot’s work can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, the Musée Picasso and other institutions.
Find original Françoise Gilot prints, watercolor paintings and other art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Lions Gallery)
Françoise Gilot, “On the Wheel of Fortunes” A Woman's Balancing Act
By Françoise Gilot
Located in San Francisco, CA
A superb expression of a triumphant free spirit, and the balancing act required to maintain it, this watercolor was created by a woman who embodied female independence—especially rem...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
![Trompe l'oeil [Punch and Judy].](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_3312/1620315874402/Trompe_L_Oeil_Punch_87325_master.jpg?width=240)
![Trompe l'oeil [Punch and Judy].](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_3312/a_80363921620315888348/Trompe_L_Oeil_Punch_detail_87325_master.jpg?width=240)
Trompe l'oeil [Punch and Judy].
By George Cruikshank
Located in New York, NY
Trompe l'oeil. [Punch and Judy]. Watercolor and drawing, undated, circa 1830. Paper size 10.25 x 14" (26.1 x 35.6 cm). On "J. Whatman" watermarked paper. Unidentified artist. A 19th-century visual montage of Cruikshank's "Punch & Judy." The images are taken from the book "The Tragical Comedy, or Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy." As told to John Payne Collier by Giovanni in 1827, illustrated by George Cruikshank and published by S. Prowlett, London 1828. The central circle illustrates a drawing showing two allegorical female figures with two putti. The text under this image: “E Musao Hugonis Howard Armig, from Guercino.” On top of that illustration is a handsome painting of a flintlock pistol. Trompe l’oeil is an art of illustration – the name translates to ‘Trick of the Eye.” The puppet show of Pulcinella or Punch and Judy has a long and fascinating history. “A puppet play that would have featured a version of Punch was first recorded in England in May 1662 by the diarist Samuel Pepys. He noted seeing it in Covent Garden, London, performed by the Italian puppet showman Pietro Gimonde from Bologna, otherwise known as Signor Bologna. The earliest script of a Punch and Judy show...
Watercolor, India Ink, Pencil
$3,500
H 23.75 in W 19.5 in
"Factory Boy with Locomotive" Paul Meltsner, 1930s Working WPA Portrait
By Paul Meltsner
Located in New York, NY
Paul Meltsner Factory Boy with Locomotive, circa 1935 Signed lower left Watercolor on paper 23 3/4 x 19 1/2 inches Paul Meltsner sold his first painting when he was eight years old...
Paper, Watercolor
Gun from Clue
By A.J. Fries
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original mixed media drawing by American artist A.J. Fries.
Gouache, Graphite, Paper
$695
H 12.25 in W 10.25 in D 0.75 in
1920's Historical Fashion Illustration of Lady in 17th Century Dress
Located in Soquel, CA
Finely detailed historical figurative fashion illustration painted in watercolor in 1921, of a lady in 17th century dress; complete with a full blac...
Paper, Watercolor
$1,250
H 20 in W 20 in D 1 in
Self Love - Bruno Surdo, Original Multimedia Figure Drawing
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Bruno Surdo Self Love, 2017 charcoal on paper 20h x 20w in 50.80h x 50.80w cm BRS026 Bruno A. Surdo b. Chicago, 1963 EXHIBITIONS 2023 New Work, Gallery VICTOR, Chicago, IL 20...
Charcoal, Conté, Gouache, Color Pencil
coastal landscape, bohuskusten, c. 1920s
Located in Stockholm, SE
Watercolor on paper signed Axel Hilleström unframed 39.5 x 72 cm (15.6 x 28.3 in) framed 50 x 83 cm (19.7 x 32.7 in) This expansive watercolor depicts a sandy shoreline along the Sw...
Paper, Watercolor
Watercolor drawing of a Reclining Female Nude
Located in Philadelphia, PA
ADOLPHE BORIE (American, 1877-1934) Reclining Female Nude Watercolor & graphite on buff wove paper, 9 x 12 inches FRAMED: 11 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches Signed at lower right: "Adolphe...
Watercolor, Graphite, Paper
Commedia dell'arte – Four Character Studies in Watercolor, 1920s
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Unidentified artist, 'Commedia dell’arte' – four character studies (Arlecchino, Pantalone, Pantalone giovane, Tartaglia), watercolor and pencil, c. 192...
Pencil, Watercolor
$2,511
H 25.6 in W 19.69 in D 0.02 in
"Great Pine", Tree Inhabited by Human in Nature, Drawing and Pigments on Paper
By Frank Girard
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This drawing by Frank Girard is created with pigments, Chinese ink, watercolors, acrylic, and colored pencils on 300g/m2 neutral white paper. It is not framed. Through drawings, the...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil, Pigment
The Prince's Room
By Willy Pogany
Located in Buffalo, NY
Born in Szeged, Hungary, he became one of the better known and successful illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration, completing over 100 books. Among them are "A Treasury of Verse for Little Children," "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." He is probably best known for pen and ink drawings of mythology subjects geared towards children. He studied at Budapest Technical University and attended art schools in Munich and Paris before moving to London at age 23. In 1907, he began illustrating children's books and did a series of annual gift books...
Gouache, Graphite, Pen, Watercolor
$5,442
H 19.3 in W 15.36 in
Cecil Beaton - Watercolour Ballet Costume Design for Le Pavillon - 1936
By Cecil Beaton
Located in London, GB
SIR CECIL BEATON, CBE (1904-1980) Ballet Costume Design for Le Pavillon - 1936 Signed and bears wardrobe mark l.r.: Beaton Watercolour and ink on paper 49 by 39 cm., 19 ¼ by 15 ½ ...
Watercolor, Paper
Old Testament Scene with Angel 1813 Large Grisaille Drawing on Paper Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
One of the characters in this scene is a mature man, kneeling with his head bowed and hands clasped near his chest in a gesture of supplication. His posture conveys a sense of humili...
Mahogany, Paper, Watercolor, Pencil