Surviving Picasso is a 1996 biographical drama film directed by James Ivory and written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The film tells the story of Francoise Gilot, a young artist who becomes the lover and muse of the famed painter Pablo Picasso in the early 1950s.
As their relationship develops, Francoise learns that Picasso is a selfish and controlling man who treats his partners and friends cruelly. Despite this, she stays with him and bears him two children, Claude and Paloma. But after ten years of suffering, Francoise decides to leave Picasso and start a new life on her own.
The film is based on the memoir "Life with Picasso" written by Francoise Gilot and Carlton Lake. It features an ensemble cast of acclaimed actors including Anthony Hopkins as Picasso, Natascha McElhone as Francoise, and Julianne Moore as Dora Maar, another one of Picasso's lovers.
The movie provides a rare glimpse into the personal life of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. It explores themes of love, freedom, and artistic expression, and showcases the struggles of a woman who refuses to be defined by her relationship with a famous man.