Françoise Gilot (1921-2023) - Friendly birds

This color lithograph by Françoise Gilot shows a dynamic group of birds that seem to be flying among abstract, angular shapes. Different kinds of birds are layered over each other, creating a lively composition in which it is sometimes hard to tell where one form ends and another begins. The image is almost entirely dominated by various shades of blue, combined with white, light pink, and dark brown accents. The simplified outlines and geometric planes give the birds an almost abstract character. At the same time, their eyes, beaks, and wings ensure they remain clearly recognizable. The combination of figuration and abstraction, together with the strong use of color and the movement in the composition, is characteristic of Gilot's visual language. The copy is also marked lower left with 13/200, indicating that this is from an edition of 200.

Françoise Gilot (1921–2023) was a French artist who worked for roughly eight decades as a painter, draftsman, and printmaker. She was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris, initially studied philosophy and law, but ultimately devoted herself entirely to art. Her first exhibition took place in 1943. Gilot is considered part of the postwar Paris School and developed a distinctive style in which figurative scenes meet simplified and abstract forms with a pronounced use of color. She did not work only in painting but also mastered graphic techniques such as lithography and aquatint. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, owns her color lithographs from the 1960s. Gilot is also known for her relationship with Pablo Picasso, with whom she had two children, Claude and Paloma, but her own substantial artistic career continued to develop for many decades after their separation.

Dimensions: 69 x 85 cm
Framed dimensions: 70 x 86 cm
Signed lower right
139/200

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