Life with Picasso

"A memoir of, as the title suggests, a life with Picasso, told in the most clear-eyed, emotionally sophisticated prose by Françoise Gilot, who met the artist when she was in her early twenties (he was 61). The book shows that far from a naïve, timid ingenue living in the shadow of an artist larger than life, Gilot’s tenacity and strong will was a match for Picasso’s—not to mention she was probably a good deal more mature and smarter (not to mention more benevolent) than him. A brilliant book not only on Picasso as a man and artist but also on his milieu, covering a lengthy period at the height of his fame. I’ll never forget Gilot’s story of what ended the friendship between Andre Gide and Picasso: Gide turned to Pablo and said, “There’s one thing about Françoise I like very much. She’s the kind of person who may always have remorse, but will never have regrets.” Pablo said, “I haven’t any idea what that means. I suppose Françoise has no acquaintance with regrets but she knows even less about remorse.” Gide said, “It’s easy to see there’s a dimension to her inner life which has escaped you.” A remarkably humane but damning diagnosis of a man and his faults, a testament to a great artist, an invaluable document providing a rare look behind the curtain at the fierce debates and relationships among artists in Picasso’s circle."