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Françoise Gilot

April 3 – July 3, 2024

August Stillness, 1997

August Stillness, 1997
Oil on canvas
31.9 x 39.4 in.

Pablo with Red Background (Les yeux basilic), 1944

Pablo with Red Background (Les yeux basilic), 1944
Graphite and color pencil on paper
25.6 x 19.9 in.

Joy (VIII), 1946

Joy (VIII), 1946
Graphite on paper
18 x 25 in.

Smiling Dover Sole and Flowers, 1947

Smiling Dover Sole and Flowers, 1947
Graphite on paper
18 x 25 in.

White and Red Still Life, 1947

White and Red Still Life, 1947
Pencil on paper
26 x 20 in.

White and Red Still Life, 1947

White and Red Still Life, 1947
Pencil, gouache and collage on paper
19.75 x 26 in.

Paul Éluard, 1951

Paul Éluard, 1951
India ink on paper
10 x 7 in.

Harlequin at Rest, 1956

Harlequin at Rest, 1956
Pastel on paper
28.75 x 35 in.

Claude et Paloma dans le grenier en Bretagne, 1958

Claude et Paloma dans le grenier en Bretagne, 1958
Oil on canvas
21.6 x 18.1 in.

Portrait of Chantal, Etude en sepia, 1958-59

Portrait of Chantal, Etude en sepia, 1958-59
Oil on canvas
25.4 x 21 in.

Sunflowers, 1958

Sunflowers, 1958
Oil on canvas
37 x 29 in.

Paula, 1960

Paula, 1960
Oil on canvas
10.75 x 8.75 in.

La force centrifuge du labyrinth, 1963

La force centrifuge du labyrinth, 1963
Watercolor on paper
13 x 9.8 in.

A tire d'aile vers le bouquet de Venise, 1966

A tire d'aile vers le bouquet de Venise, 1966
Watercolor
25.4 x 19. 5 in.

Greek Profile (Profil Grec), 1967

Greek Profile (Profil Grec), 1967
Color lithograph, 71/100
26 x 18.5 in.

Self Portrait in Front of Landscape, 1971

Self Portrait in Front of Landscape, 1971
India ink on paper
26 x 20.1 in.

Flower Shield (Bouclier floral), 1975

Flower Shield (Bouclier floral), 1975
Color lithograph
22 x 22.5 in.

Aurélia à la fenetre, 1978

Aurélia à la fenetre, 1978
Pencil and pastels on paper
23.6 x 30 in.

The Seed III, Inner Eye, 1983

The Seed III, Inner Eye, 1983
Oil on canvas
12.2 x 9.1 in.
31 x 23 cm

Inner Light, 1983

Inner Light, 1983
Oil on canvas
9.8 x 7.8 in.

Early Sunrise, 1984

Early Sunrise, 1984
Gouache on paper
22 x 30 in.

Sense of Taste, 1985

Sense of Taste, 1985
Monotype
22 x 30 in.

Arvor, 1986

Arvor, 1986
Monotype
30.3 x 44.1 in.

Incoming Tide, 1987

Incoming Tide, 1987
Monotype
30.25 x 44 in.

Genealogies, 1989

Genealogies, 1989
Monotype
41 x 29 in.

Chariots of Fire (Chars Incandescents), 1991–1992

Chariots of Fire (Chars Incandescents), 1991–1992
Color lithograph
18 x 24 in.

Dog Days II, 1991-92

Dog Days II, 1991-92
Oil on canvas
30 x 24 in.

The Rainbow, 1994

The Rainbow, 1994
Oil on canvas
18 x 24 in.

Convergences, 1997

Convergences, 1997
Oil on canvas
9.45 x 7.5 in.

The Tree of Life, 2002

The Tree of Life, 2002
Oil on canvas
63.8 x 52 in.

Incertitude, 2003-4

Incertitude, 2003-4
Oil on canvas
9.8 x 9.8 in.

Bird, Butterfly and Two Oranges, 2007

Bird, Butterfly and Two Oranges, 2007
Oil on canvas
16 x 20 in.

Press Release

Rosenberg & Co. is pleased to present Françoise Gilot, the first posthumous exhibition of the artist’s work in New York.The exhibition brings together thirty-six works that span the artist’s diverse oeuvre—ranging from delicate yet impactful drawings in pencil to strong abstract compositions that resonate with intense colors.  

 

Françoise Gilot was a remarkable French artist whose extensive body-of-work bridged the twentieth-century avant-garde with burgeoning contemporary aesthetics. Born into a wealthy family outside of Paris, Gilot engaged with art from an early age. After completing a degree in English literature and briefly attending law school, Gilot began her formal artistic education in 1941, studying with Endre Rozsda and taking classes at the Académie Julian. Two years later during her first gallery exhibition, Gilot met Pablo Picasso, who she maintained a relationship with from 1946 until 1953.

 

Around 1946, Gilot deserted oil painting in favor of graphite, and occasionally gouache, on paper. These early drawings are well represented in the exhibition ranging from portraits of family, and still lifes to abstract compositions. In 1950, she became the first woman to make lithographs at Fernand Mourlot’s acclaimed Atelier—Gilot continued printmaking with Mourlot for decades. After ending her relationship with Picasso, Gilot returned to painting and focused on rendering scenes of her daily life, friends, and family in muted tones.

 

In 1969, Gilot was invited by June Wayne, founding director of the renowned Tamarind Lithography Workshop in California, to create lithographs. Within the following decade, Gilot established studios in California and New York, exhibited heavily throughout the United States, and began incorporating a renewed vibrancy into her work. In 1985, Gilot formed a longstanding partnership with Judith Solodkin, the first female master printer at Tamarind Workshop and director of SOLO Impression in New York. After over two decades of figurative work, Gilot began reincorporating abstraction in 1991, utilizing her lifelong fervor for color to invigorate lyrical compositions. Gilot remained a vital presence in the art world until her death at the age of 101 in 2023.  

 

Through a retrospective lens, the exhibition investigates the multitude of aesthetic explorations undertaken throughout Gilot’s expansive career with the aim of celebrating the work of this formidable artist, whose singular oeuvre stands distinguished.

The exhibition is accompanied by an eponymous catalogue featuring an essay by Matthew James Holman, with introductions by Marianne Rosenberg and Serge Bril Panijel, and contributions by Alain Malraux, Eric Mourlot, and Judith Solodkin. Learn more here.

 

We are grateful to Aurélia Engel, Mel Yoakum, and The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum for their support in the preparation of this exhibition.