Francoise Gilot & Sir John Richardson

If asked to name any artist, most people will cite Picasso, who died 50 years ago on April 8, 1973, or Van Gogh — due to efficient brand-making in Picasso’s case and a kind of legend of suffering in Van Gogh’s.

But if we’re going to really talk about Picasso, and get beyond the brand and the stratospheric auction prices, we should talk about Françoise Gilot, who was every bit as smart as the paint