Françoise Gilot, painter and Picasso companion, dies at 101

Françoise Gilot, the French painter known worldwide as the companion of Pablo Picasso, died at 101 in a Manhattan hospital due to severe cardiac and pulmonary issues, as reported by The New York Times. Born in 1921 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, she was introduced to art by her mother in 1928. Despite family opposition, she studied law and philosophy while pursuing art, exhibiting at a small Parisian gallery in 1943. There, she met actor Alain Cuny, who invited her to dinner where Picasso was present. This encounter led her to dedicate herself fully to painting, prompting her father to cut off support. She supported herself through private lessons and attended the Academy, entering Picasso's dynamic art circle. Her work evolved from stylized cubist figuration to abstract, vibrant compositions. She left Picasso in 1953 to avoid destruction, as she told Janet Hawley in Artists and Conversation. Their relationship, beginning in 1943 while Picasso was with Dora Maar, produced children Claude and Paloma. Picasso painted her multiple times, and she also modeled for Henri Matisse. Her memoir Life with Picasso (1964) portrayed his cruelty. After separation, she married artist Luc Simon, had daughter Aurelia, and divorced. She later married scientist Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine, until his death in 1995. She was also the subject of the 1996 film Surviving Picasso by James Ivory.