The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

Graphite on vertically oriented paper outlines the intersecting organic and geometric shapes of a highly abstract still life, filled with solid colors in gouache, a chalky, opaque paint. In the lower half, a rectangular block of white suggests a table with an oval on it swirling with shapes colored alternatingly with white, beige, light pink, and gray. Scarlet red colors the background, intercepted by angular white and beige shapes extending into the oval from the left and right edges.

White and Red Still Life

1947

Françoise Gilot

(French, 1921–2023)
France
gouache and graphite on thick wove paper
Sheet: 65.1 x 50.4 cm (25 5/8 x 19 13/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2024.66
© Françoise Gilot
Catalogue raisonné: Gilot archive G.707
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

To create the vivid red tonality in this drawing, Françoise Gilot painted with cadmium red, a pigment known for its brightness and opacity.

Description

In this drawing, Françoise Gilot portrayed everyday household objects while incorporating numerous vantage points. Gilot developed this technique alongside Pablo Picasso, with whom she had a relationship from 1943 until 1953. Together, the two experimented with geometric abstraction. Rather than pure formal experimentation, Gilot also incorporated autobiographical references into her work—here, for example, the rounded shapes stood for femininity, disrupted by angular, masculine forms.
  • 1947–after 2002
    Studio of the artist, acquired by Serge Panijel, New York, NY
    after 2002–2024
    Serge Panijel, New York, NY
    2024
    (Rosenberg & Co., New York, NY sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
    September 9, 2024–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Corwin, William. “Françoise Gilot: Charting the Path of a Modern Master.” Art & Antiques (May/June 2024). Mentioned: pp. 68-69; Reproduced: p. 70.
    Russo, Jillian. “Françoise Gilot.” Brooklyn Rail (May 2024). Mentioned
    Holman, Matthew, et al. Françoise Gilot. Exh. Cat. New York: Rosenberg & Co., 2024. Mentioned: pp. 11-12, 22, 72, 110; Reproduced: p. 73
  • Picasso and Paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (co-organizer) (December 8, 2024-March 23, 2025).
    Françoise Gilot. Rosenberg & Co., New York, NY (April 3 – July 3, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=White and Red Still Life|url=false|author=Françoise Gilot|year=1947|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.66