As a muse and lover of Pablo Picasso, she was objectified in the name of art.
When it comes to the everyday objectification of women, however, Francoise Gilot has some rather controversial - and bizarre - views.
The 93-year-old French painter and author has claimed men wolf-whistling at women in the street reduces the number of rapes committed because it "oils" the complex relationship between the sexes.
Miss Gilot, who had two children, Paloma and Claude, with Picasso, made the comments in a book which is released later this month.
About Women: Conversations Between a Writer and a Painter, which she co-wrote with US feminist author Lisa Alther, discusses the "dilemmas, benefits and demands of womanhood".