Matisse et Picasso. Une amitié racontée

by Françoise Gilot

"Qui pourrait prononcer le nom de Matisse sans voir aussitôt des couleurs flamboyer ou celui de Picasso sans songer à la révolution
de la forme ? Venus de Picardie et d'Andalousie, ces deux peintres se dressent, en ce début de XXe siècle, comme les pôles opposés d'un même élan vers la modernité. Leurs découvertes et leurs réalisations laisseront une empreinte indélébile sur les arts plastiques de cette période. Non seulement ils se connaissaient, mais ils développèrent et entretinrent une amitié, tout en ombres et lumières, dont j'eus le privilège d'être témoin entre les années 1946 et 1954. Cet ouvrage relate les méandres d'une relation dont le fondement et la raison d'être jaillissent d'une même passion dévorante pour l'art, relation qui continua grâce à leur curiosité mutuelle envers les libertés que chacun osait prendre pour transcender les tabous esthétiques et contourner les limites du bon goût de l'époque. " Françoise Gilot

Genres: Art, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Art History

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Françoise Gilot is a French painter, critic, and author. In 1973 Gilot was appointed as the Art Director of the scholarly journal Virginia Woolf Quarterly. In 1976 she was made a member of the board of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California. She held summer courses there and took on organizational responsibilities until 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s she designed costumes, stage sets, and masks for productions at the Guggenheim in New York. She was awarded a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, in 1990.

She is also known as the lover and artistic muse of Pablo Picasso from 1943 to 1953; the pair had two children, Claude (1947-2023) and Paloma (1949-). She later married the American vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk.

She passed away June 6, 2023 in Manhattan (New York).

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a steal for $6.00 when I picked it up at the Frick Museum recently. I loved reading Gilot's book Life With Picasso so I was instantly attracted to this book. I find her to be a most insightful, intelligent, and perceptive woman. I love her analysis of artists and their art.

The focus of this book was the visits that she and Picasso had made to Matisse's home in Vence during the period in which they were a couple - I believe approximately ten years - the mid 1940s up until right before his death in 1954. The conversations that took place - mostly exchanges regarding their artistic philosophies - challenging each other as if bull and matador in the ring - on who can perceive the truth in the world through an artistic vision.

I loved this book. I did feel that Gilot digressed at times from the real focus of the book on the connection between Matisse and Picasso to discuss her personal interpretation of Matisse's work and some other topics. The book was definitely weighed more towards discussing Matisse than Picasso - guess probably because she had had enough of that topic probably. I did think her vision of Matisse was a bit idealized but still was a pleasure to read. However, Gilot treasured these visits and realized how fleeting they were and she writes about them with such warmth and loving reflection, as a time lost to only memories.

As always Picasso's relationships with any of his peers was always an unusual dynamic and filled with much emotion, even if it was only brewing beneath the surface. These two men had great admiration for each other and each felt the other challenged their own selves to elevate their art. "It was as if neither of them could afford to be spontaneous with the other; there was too much at stake. Remaining formal and keeping a safe distance seemed to be the best strategy on both sides."

Lastly Picasso stated it the best: "When one of us dies, there are things that the other will not be able to say to anyone else ever again."

[Thabata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really great book. It gives you a view of this two artists from Françoise Gilot intimate point of view. It "humanizes" them, specially Picasso, making so much easier to make sense of some of the features in his work.
I recommended for everybody that knows anything about these two great artists.

[Katarina Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! In this one, Françoise is focused more on art and her&Picasso’s relationship with Matisse, as well as Matisse’s work. She often mentions parts of her together life with Picasso, so it was very helpful that I had already read her book “My life with Picasso”, since I could understand the story better. This book is a big contribution to the world of art, but if you want to have an easier read with more everyday stories, I would definitely recommend to start with “Life with Picasso”.

[Chris Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable book. The author was Picasso's lover and mother to two of his children, as well as a friend of Matisse. It tells the relationships between the three of them, from her perspective and does so in a seemingly loving way. She's a great admirer of Matisse and his work, and gives great descriptions of his art. Picasso is portrayed from the perspective of a woman unfortunate enough to be in a close romantic relationship with him, but fortunate enough to have been in close intimate relationship with the artist.

[GK Stritch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it possible to be the first to write a review of this book published in 1990? It transported me to their world--like stepping inside a painting. Francoise writes with a little more acid about Picasso (than in her first book), and dripping with honey about Matisse, so as with any other book, read what's written as well as what's not. The book is about not two, but three art world figures, Gilot being an interesting third.

[Peter Herrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilot's memory, intellect shine through on every page. Her understanding of art is profound ... at times her intellectual, philosophical analyses of the subject art are astounding (and not infrequently left me in the dust). I'm also deeply impressed with her command of English (as far as I could determine this book was not translated from French - not certain); indeed it's superior to mine. Very insightful .. not just about the art of these 2 giants, but about their psyches.

[Myrthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intiem, verhelderend portret van Matisse en Picasso door een vrouw die tien jaar met Picasso heeft samengeleefd. Veel aandacht voor de manier waarop hun schilderkunst - die van Matisse vol 'joi de vivre', die van Picasso onderzoekend en absurd - een spiegel vormt van hun karakter en filosofische overtuigingen.

[Olga Vannucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picasso was petty, but also he knew
Matisse was a legend and generous too.
Told from the inside, as just she could do.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written by Francoise Gilot, lover and mother of 2 of Picasso's kids. I like it when she writes in the kinda diary/journey style of what happened , what she experienced , interpreted between her own life, Picasso's and Matisse friendship and especially when she comments on how certain famous painting evolved- processes artistically of her own work as well as Picasso's and Matisse's of course (and what they thought of each other's works.) At times it switches to history type writting where I feel she had to do research or almost some one else was writing. I tended to skim those parts. Makes me want to read her 'My Life with Picasso' next. I had previously read "Paris Portraits' by Harriet Lane Levy- friends of the Steins , who spent a few years visiting Gertrude Stein and meeting artist. It also had an intimate feeling-found these books after watching PBS ' Paris the Luminous Years' http://www.pbs.org/programs/paris/

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those beautiful books you need to have a physical copy to fully appreciate it.

Let's start with the intro--which makes itself a bonus to the narrative, foreshadowing a unique pov that at times felt stranger than fiction.

Then we're taken straight into Gilot's brilliant artistic mind and we're privy to so much colorful angles and forms. (I hope you caught what I did there, since we're talking about the guy who revolutionized colors and his friend the guy who revolutionized form).
Don't get me wrong by page 30 you'll hate Picasso because of how he treats her.

The bulk of the story is about the symbiosis of these three artists' creations.

Some painting background does help with the reading.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading. Interesting. Françoise Gilot knew both artists and had a keen eye for reading both men.
I found a few interesting and useful passages for my research. Especially about Matisse and his circle of friends. How Matisse's journey from a somewhat post impressionist to pixels of colours to using colour boldly. It was definitely what I was looking for. More like 3.5 stars.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but not quite as good as Life with Picasso.