Brought up in an affluent family, Françoise Gilot was sent to Cambridge and the Sorbonne to become a lawyer, but the young woman defied their wishes to become an artist. In 1943, Gilot met Pablo Picasso, four decades older than her and looking for a new muse. First published in 1961, Gilot's memoir looks back on a decade-long romance, during which she gave birth to their children Paloma and Claude. As she recounts Picasso's conversations and commentary on his work, Gilot also shares how she maintained her own independence as a woman and an artist.

"[A] completely fascinating volume, one of the most illuminating we have had on the mind and spirit of Picasso."—Los Angeles Times