Gabriële

by Anne Berest, Claire Berest

Septembre 1908. Gabriële Buffet, femme de 27 ans, indépendante, musicienne, féministe avant l’heure, rencontre Francis Picabia, jeune peintre à succès et à la réputation sulfureuse. Il avait besoin d’un renouveau dans son œuvre, elle est prête à briser les carcans : insuffler, faire réfléchir, théoriser. Elle devient « la femme au cerveau érotique » qui met tous les hommes à genoux, dont Marcel Duchamp et Guillaume Apollinaire. Entre Paris, New York, Berlin, Zürich, Barcelone, Étival et Saint-Tropez, Gabriële guide les précurseurs de l’art abstrait, des futuristes, des Dada, toujours à la pointe des avancées artistiques. Ce livre nous transporte au début d’un xxe siècle qui réinvente les codes de la beauté et de la société.
Anne et Claire Berest sont les arrière-petites-filles de Gabriële Buffet-Picabia.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art, France, Literary Fiction, Roman, French Literature

450 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2017

About the author

Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed The Postcard by Anne Berest, I was drawn to request Gabriele by Anne Berest and her sister Claire from NetGalley. Whereas The Postcard recreated events related to previously unknown family members lost in the Holocaust, Gabriele recreates the life of Gabriele Buffett, their great grandmother, a woman who lived to 104 but was completely unknown to them. Gabriele was a musician, studying in Germany in the late 19th century, when she met Francis Picabia. This meeting changed both their lives forever, creating a team that would influence the art world of the early 20th century. Gabriele fused her modernist music theory with Francis’ ideas of art and they in turn shared and influenced so many artists of their time. Not always understood or accepted, they persisted.

Gabriele was, in many ways, the power behind the duo, the cement in the marriage. She stopped her career in music theory and composition to assist and champion her husband. She also appears to have been considered an intellectual equal by many of the prominent figures of the art world of the first third of the past century. Of course, as a woman, her experiences were not the same as her male counterparts; she was a mother, she was the cheated wife, but she also was the inspiration for artists, poets. She just wasn’t a good mother to her children.

Anne and Claire’s created biography of Gabriele is an attempt to fill in an empty area in their family tree, one they hadn’t always known they were missing. Now they have met previously unknown family members through their research into their family.

While I did ultimately enjoy this book, it’s not always easy reading, especially since I am not especially knowledgeable in the arts. I did know enough from my general western culture art courses in college to recognize and appreciate many of the artists, writers and musicians mentioned and discussed in the book. And Gabriele’s theories are discussed in detail as to how they apply to art and specific artists. I found I enjoyed this and it actually increased my understanding of the development of modern art and music. I took my time reading the book, as it’s full of ideas.

I do recommend this book to anyone interested in the development of experimental art forms as well as a biography of a couple who appear to epitomize the lives of those artists.

Thanks to Europa Editions and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Victoria Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Gabriele is the true account, in novel form, of the life of Gabriele Buffet, paternal great-grandmother of the authors. I was interested in this book because I was absolutely captivated by Anne Berest’s The Postcard and was interested to continue learning more about her more interesting than average family.

This story of Gabriele Buffet’s life including her early adult years, her initial meeting and subsequent marriage to the famous painter, Francis Picabia, and many other interactions with famous artists of the time is so fascinating that it’s hard to believe it’s true. The authors do a great job at taking their research and transforming it into an intriguing novel and transforming real people into characters. Shortly into the book, you get a real sense of Gabriele’s character and come to appreciate how strong her personality is, despite how much it seems like she allowed herself to be minimized compared to her husband— she is truly a fleshed out, tangible character in this book and hers is such an intriguing story to be along for the ride with. One of my favorite elements of the book were the personal commentaries shared by the authors throughout the text, either on their thoughts about the situation at hand or about the lasting impact of Gabriele’s actions (or in some cases, inaction) on future generations of their family.

It’s clear that this book was expertly researched, with many specific details and scenes incorporated throughout, with full references at the end. Those who appreciate art and music history, especially pertinent to that time period, will appreciate the level of detail included in this book. I did need to go back a few times to keep track of all of the names referenced in this book but, I think that just goes to show the extent of impact and connections this couple had.

Overall, while this book was different from The Postcard, I still think it was an excellent read to continue on with, with these authors and their family. As mentioned before, this book would be well appreciated and I think enjoyed by art and music history fans, along with historical fiction fans. I look forward to seeing what others think when this is published and to revisiting this work again in the future!

[prisca💋 · Rating 2 out of 5]

je ne l’ai pas terminé… je m’ennuyais vraiment trop. C’est un livre qui est censé parler de la vie de Gabriële Buffet et les autrices ne parlent que de son mari, de Duchamp et Apollinaire. Je n’ai pas ouvert ce livre pour entendre parler d’eux. En soi ce n’est pas inintéressant mais ce n’est pas le sujet tout simplement parce que si j’avais voulu connaître la vie de Francis Picabia ou Apollinaire, j’aurais pris un livre sur eux. Or, ici on parle 10% de Gabriële et 90% des hommes, comme si une femme se résumait uniquement par les hommes qui l’ont fréquentée. Bref, je suis ultra déçue parce que je voulais connaître cette femme et je n’apprends rien, seulement un peu au début.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous read ,the personal history ,the love story the story of the artists and their wild bohemian life.I love the connection to the authors who knew very little about her their relative. a free and brave woman who loved madly several men. She was not an attentive mother and often apart from from them countries away. I did not know much about her husbands art ,so it was a lesson for me as well.very well written with both their opinions and feelings considered.i will go back and read it again also great gift for my friends all over the world.

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 3 out of 5]

'There are moments in your life when everything around you is screaming out the absurdity of your situation, and yet some irrational, irresistible force holds you in place, appalled, watching, the consequences of your own choices play out'.

I just loved The Postcard and was keen to get my hands on this latest biographical fiction novel by Anne and her sister Claire. Gabriele was the girls' great-grandmother, someone they had no idea about until her death at 104 years of age. Intrigued, they dug deeper and found a woman who as a complete maverick of her time, living beyond convention, and making her name as a musical composer. However, after meeting up and coming artist Francis Picabia, her unconventional, yet independent ways, are thrown in a different direction upon a hasty marriage. The reader becomes drawn into a whole other world of artists and burgeoning new art forms.

Gabriele is told in a narrative format, that talks in the present as well as delving into the past. It is also sprinkled with the authors' thoughts on their discoveries, as the piecing together of the puzzle of the great-grandmother. Although I enjoyed learning about such a renegade lady, as well as being immersed into the world of art at that time, I did struggle a bit with the overall flow of the story.

'I need you. My own thoughts tell me where I am, but not where I am going. You can't leave - you're the only one who can help me'.

[Juliana]

DNF 39%

While it's clear that a great deal of care and research went into this book, the level of detail was overwhelming at times, and I found myself losing interest as the narrative became bogged down in extensive descriptions. The format of the book, with personal commentaries from the authors, did not work for me.

I did enjoy the early chapters about Gabriële’s time at music school, but once she meets Picabia, the book shifts its focus almost entirely to him. Given that the title centers around her, I was hoping for a deeper exploration of her life, rather than a detailed account of her husband’s.

There’s certainly historical value here, and the Berest family is undeniably fascinating, but ultimately, Gabriële didn’t quite engage me in the way I was expecting.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

63rd book read in 2025

I read this for a reading group. We had read and admired The Postcard by Anne Berest. One of us is a fine artist. We are all women.

Gabriele was a young woman in 1908, graduate of an elite music school in Paris, and planned to be a composer. Instead, she met and fell in love with a painter: Francis Picabia. They marry and together are key players in the avant-garde of the arts in the early 20th century following the harrowing results of WWI.

The book, another one of Anne Berest’s “true novels,” is well-researched, beyond exciting and almost beyond belief. If you are any kind of artist, you know that we are a different breed of human and rarely feel obligated to follow any proscribed behavior except for deep commitment towards our chosen art form.

We meet many of the greats of the time: Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire, Anton Webern and others who created Cubism, Surrealism, Dada, etc.

Gabriel is a tireless supporter and brilliant promoter of these artists, but she is also a woman who either did not know about birth control or was too busy to learn. She had four children with Francis Picabia but was rarely involved in caring for or raising them. Fortunately, she had well to do parents who kindly took care of and raised them whenever Gabriel was traveling or too busy.

Anne Berest is the daughter of a woman mysteriously connected to Gabriele. It was one of the big secrets in her family and she resolved to get to the bottom of it. She and her sister Claire, who is also a novelist, researched and wrote the book, which was published in France well before The Postcard, but was translated into English and released just this year by Europa Editions.

Does it ever get any easier for a woman to be both an artist and a mother? I think not. I thank both Anne and Claire Berest for this testament to strong and talented women, to artists, to rebellion as a form of impetus for change in human civilization. Especially I thank them both for expressing not a word of censure toward the amazing Gabriele but instead honored her work and sacrifices as commitment to the arts.

Interestingly, Gabriele long out-lived her husband and went on to live a full and active life.

[Margaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si je n'ai pas retrouvé l'engouement que j'ai eu pour La carte postale, j'ai beaucoup aimé suivre les aventures de Gabriële au travers de la plume des soeurs Berest.
Quel destin et quelle histoire !

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

Je me suis quand même majoritairement ennuyé à la lecture de ce livre. Je m’étais préparé à suivre l’histoire d’une meuf badass et finalement on suit tout le long du livre celle de son mari drogué qui ne peut pas vivre sans elle.
J’ai bien accroché sur le début du livre : on voit se construire peu à peu une femme indépendante, féministe et avant-gardiste. Et puis finalement, elle va suivre la trace de certainement trop de femme de l’époque qui ne le désirait pas vraiment : se marier, avoir des enfants et disparaître au profit du bonheur et de la réussite de son mari.
Et même si c’est certainement talentueux de réalisme, je n’avais pas envie de lire quasiment 500 pages qui parle d’une femme qui a gâché son talent au profit d’un homme.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’aurais aimé en savoir plus sur Gabriële et moins sur son mari

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a work of historical fiction, written by the great granddaughters of Gabriele Buffet and Francis Picabia, who were influential figures in the avant-garde of Paris during the Belle Epoque and WWI. The sisters never met their great grandparents and had to piece together details of their unusual relationship and incredible life. This novel had a great start with wonderful descriptions and writing. But it got tedious maybe because the descriptions of all the relationships and travels became tedious. Ultimately, it was all too much.

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow c’était mièvre à souhait et pas très bien écrit

Je trouve que le principe est chouette, et j’ai appris des vertes et des pas mûres sur l’art moderne mais plusieurs choses m’ont soûlée :
1. La réécriture féministe d’une femme forte alors qu’elle se fait quand même pas mal bolosse par son mari et accepte sa condition de femme
2. Les envolées lyriques pas possible
3. Le sur-abus de superlatifs
4. Les faux dialogues entre les sœurs qui se parlent type « tu t’es déjà posée la question de… » je dis NON

Vers la moitié du livre c’est devenu un supplice à terminer

[Sveta Ikhmeneva · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have so many feelings about this book. it made me feel so sad, angry, pensive, sometimes all at once. i'll write a proper review at some point.

[Beth]

I am struggling with this review. How many stars? Am I glad I read/got through it?
It is truly unlike anything I have ever read. I understand that the years of research to discover their great grandmother must have been monumental. I was determined to finish, and I did. I found it to be too too detailed, TMI, and boring at times.
Mostly, I struggled with a woman with absolutely no regard for her children, while being totally devoted to her SOB husband, no matter his talents.

[Romy · Rating 5 out of 5]

« La musique est comme la peinture »
Récit très intéressant sur Francis Picabia et sa première femme, Gabriële,qui aura été son Inspiration constante. Picabia est l’un des précurseurs de l’impressionnisme et du cubisme.

[mikaylabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

a new favorite

[Mélanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le destin méconnu d'une femme brillante, un destin unique qui méritait la mise en lumière apporté par ses deux petites-filles.
Une belle découverte.

[Chronicroqueusedelivres · Rating 4 out of 5]

1908, Gabriele Buffet a 27 ans, elle est musicienne et veut devenir compositeur. Elle rencontre Francis Picabia, peintre à la réputation sulfureuse. Gabriele devient une muse, voyage et met les hommes à genoux, comme Marcel Duchamp et Guillaume Apollinaire. Ce livre nous transporte au début d’un XXe siècle qui réinvente les codes de la beauté et de la société.

J’ai lu ce livre dans le cadre de Grand Prix des Lectrices Elle et c’est une très jolie découverte. C’est une lecture que j’ai beaucoup aimé, je ne connaissais pas du tout Gabriele Picabia et je suis vraiment ravie de l’avoir découverte à travers cette biographie écrite par ses arrière-petites-filles.
Gabriele est une femme peu ordinaire, surtout pour son époque, c’est un personnage intriguant que l’on a de plus en plus envie de connaître au fur et à mesure de la lecture.

J’ai aimé :

– la fluidité de l’écriture des arrière-petites-filles de Gabriele et le fait qu’elles intercalent au récit des passages dans lesquels elles s’adressent directement au lecteur. Ces passages sont comme des conversations à la fois entre elles et avec nous. J’ai trouvé cela original et agréable. Dans ces conversations, elles parlent de leur démarche et de leur famille dont au final, elles ne savaient pas grand chose. Elles se sont beaucoup documenté et cela se sent, ce qu’elles écrivent est intelligent et très bien renseigné.
Pour mon avis complet: https://chronicroqueusedelivres.wordp...

[fiafia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Époque passionnante et qui m'a toujours intéressée, personnages et personnalités hors du commun... mais j'ai trouvé que c'est raconté d'une façon particulièrement inintéressante. Ce n'est ni un interminable article d'encyclopédie ni vraiment un roman. Je suis arrivée à la moitié du livre, la lecture est devenue une corvée : au lieu de rêver de retrouver le livre le plus vite possible, je repousse le moment de ces retrouvailles car cela me colle le bourdon. Ce n'est pas l'idée que j'ai de la lecture, j'abandonne donc.

[Eva K · Rating 1 out of 5]

J'attendais la sortie de ce livre depuis très longtemps car j'avais énormément apprécié le roman sur Sagan de Claire Berest. Mais quelle déception! J'ai eu l'impression de lire un article d'encyclopédie… Dommage!

[Electra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acheté et hier et lu aujourd'hui dimanche - un récit passionnant, éreintant parfois (Gabriële et Francis ont passé leur vie à courir et à fuir) et touchant (la détresse de leurs enfants)

[Aurélie · Rating 3 out of 5]

La forme est originale et intéressante, une enquête historique où les autrices nous partagent leur commentaire. Mais je l'ai trouvé un peu long et difficile à s'y tenir.

[Cec Szad · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn’t a of of plot to keep me interested in this book, despite Gabriele herself being very interesting. I think i got 75% done and ditched

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1985 …(our great-grandmother) Gabriële Buffet-Picabia died of natural causes at age 104. We didn’t go to her funeral, for the simple reason that we didn’t know she existed. from Gabriële by Anne and Claire Berest

It is likely, like Anne and Claire Berest, you haven’t heard of Gabriële Buffet. The sisters had to research and imagine their great-grandmother’s life to write this novel. They discovered a complicated woman, a failure as a mother and grandmother while she inspired the birth of art movements that changed the world.

Gabriële is a fascinating character and I loved delving into her life and world. Her intelligence and charisma shines through the book, enchanting readers as she did the men whose art challenged the status quo.

She won enty to music school to study composition at a time few women were admitted, but her life plans were upended when her brother introduced her to a successful Impressionist artist, Francis Picabia. An instant hit in the art world, Picabia now felt stifled by his commercially successful work. Gabriële encouraged him to do what she wanted to do in music, turning to abstraction as an art form. And Picabia paints the first abstract painting ever.

Picabia swept her off her feet and for decades she was his muse, his critic, his inspiration. He was impetuous, with manic and depressive phases, a charmer who entangled men in deep friendships and women in passionate affairs. They were intellectual equals, soulmates of the mind.

She knows she’s in the process of setting a match to gunpowder. from Gabriële by Anne and Claire Berest

Picabia needed Gabriële like a selfish child, with no consideration for her career or personal needs. Depleted by her husband’s manic life fueled by drugs and alcohol, Gabriële needed to retreat to the mountains and to see their children placed in boarding school.

They knew all the movers and shakers of the early 20th c art world. The couple became close to Marcel Duchamp, who fell in love with Gabriële and later became her lover, and with the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, Gabriële’s lifelong friend. Gabriële became close friends with the future fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. She was at the premier of The Rite of Spring and later became involved with Igor Stravinsky.

I knew Duchamp’s major works from our many visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But Picabia’s I had to find online. He was “the hero” of the legendary 1913 Armory Show in New York City which turned the art world around, yet I had not come across him before! I recognized Gabriële’s face in some of his art, her prominent cheekbones and slanted eyes.

I was like a man. I didn’t want to put any limits on my life. from Gabriële by Anne and Claire Berest

I loved this exploration of the writers’ family history and what it revealed about a pivotal age in art.I couldn’t put it down, and I hope they write a second volume about Gabriële’s later life.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

[Audrey Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. What stood out to me the most was the unconventional marital relationship between Francis and Gabrielle. Francis was unfaithful throughout their entire marriage and frequently disappeared on drug-fueled benders for days at a time. Surprisingly, this didn’t seem to bother Gabrielle much—her primary concern was remaining close to his artistic genius, which she deeply admired.

Gabrielle’s deep desire to travel and lead such an unconventional life alongside a gifted but volatile man was really interesting to me. As a woman reading this nearly a century later, I couldn’t help but reflect on how some women still make similar compromises today. Gabrielle was frequently the only woman among men, prompting me to think about the trade-offs women accept in pursuit of a certain kind of life. In her case, she sacrificed the chance to develop her own artistic voice, maintained a distant relationship with her children, and endured a turbulent marriage.

There were certainly other elements of the book that were compelling, but this aspect of Gabrielle’s story left the strongest impression on me.

[Along the Seine · Rating 4 out of 5]

En lisant ce livre, je me posais la question si le fait de l'appeler "un roman" n'était-il pas un peu trompeur ? "Gabriële" étant davantage un manuel d'histoire des avant-gardes artistiques du début du XXe siècle ? Ou pas…? Quoiqu’il en soit, cela vaut la peine de se saisir de ce livre et d’en faire son propre avis.

Gabriële le Buffet-Picabia est une personne dotée d'une intelligence exceptionnelle et d'une grande force. Née au XIXe siècle, elle a été la première femme musicienne à étudier la composition en France. Souhaitant s'échapper à sa famille qui lui mettait la pression pour qu'elle trouve (enfin !) un mari, elle décide de poursuivre sa formation à Berlin, où elle côtoie les plus éminents esprits en train de révolutionner le monde de la musique à l'époque.

Et puis, un jour d'été, elle rencontre Francis Picabia, un jeune peintre impressionniste déjà célèbre dans le milieu. Deux jours sont suffisants pour que Gabriele quitte sa vie et en commence une nouvelle.

Le voyage à travers ces presque 500 pages est l'histoire d'une femme à qui son mari est devenu le sens de la vie, son enfant et l'ouvrage ultime. C'est une femme qui s'était retrouvée à l'épicentre de la pensée artistique et qui l'a aidée à se matérialiser.

Picabia, Duchamp, Apollinaire, Stravinsky - ce ne sont que quelques noms de ceux qui lui étaient les plus intimes. Gabi a un "cerveau érotique". Elle en imprègne les artistes. Elle traduit les idées. Elle vit en dehors des sentiers battus. Pour l'art.

Mais Gabi est aussi l'arrière-grand-mère des autrices du livre. Celle qui n'avait pas envie de s'occuper de ses enfants, surtout du plus jeune. Et qui ne s'est jamais intéressée à sa petite-fille.

Élevée dans l'ombre de ses racines, dans le silence sur sa propre histoire, sur l'Holocauste, Lélia est la mère d'Anne et de Claire Berest. Lélia - signifie la nuit, notent ses filles dans le livre.

Elle est très touchante, cette double voix des narratrices. Elle a beaucoup apporté à la narration en transformant l'ouvrage didactique en un récit intime. Plein de doutes, de points d'interrogation. Sans réponses toutes faites. Sans le désir d'ériger un monument.

« Gabriële » est né de l'amour pour Lélia. Afin d’éclairer les ténèbres qui l'entourent.

[MC Miskuly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, but didn’t love as much as The Postcard. I admire Berest’s dedication to telling her family story on both sides, partnering with her sister to write, and providing an extremely valuable resource of history.
I just found the pacing of it a bit slow and difficult, especially as so many different people were introduced and not really rounded out for the storyline. Obviously this is real life, so people ebb and flow. The ending was rather abrupt, but I still enjoyed how they finished it.
I’d definitely read it if you’re interested in the turn of the century, Picabia, Duchamp, or if you have an affinity for reading about strong willed women who take life into their own hands. Overall it was good, but I finished reading it and my will to read The Postcard over and over again was much stronger.

[Marie-Hélène · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce livre est une belle prouesse littéraire car c'est une enquête et une autobiographie qui se lit comme un roman écrit à 4 mains par les petites filles du personnage principal, la femme du peintre Francis Picabia. Les auteurs nous content les découvertes accumulées sur leur illustre aïeule qu'elles n'ont pas connue. C'est très bien documenté et l' écriture est très agréable car elle oscille entre dialogues et réflexions entre elles, documents d'archives et analyses. Mais ce n'est jamais ennuyeux.
Quelle époque, quel personnage que cette Gabrielle avec 2 L ou pas, mais quelle folie et quel égoïsme que tous ces artistes traversant ces années, ces pays, l'histoire... créant des oeuvres et des enfants qu'ils oublient sans état d'âme, leurs oeuvres sont par contre essentielles ! Cette femme avait sans doute beaucoup de génie, elle est fascinante mais au final je n'arrive pas à avoir de l'estime pour elle. (Par contre, j'aime encore plus Apollinaire après cette lecture)

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story about the authors’ great-grandmother who influenced some of the revolutionary art from the turn of the 20th Century to World War I, at least from the scope of this book. Much of the book considers Gabriële’s influence on her husband at the time, Francis Picabia, and their spontaneous and extravagant lifestyle. In addition to their life together - and with others - I learned so much about western Europe before WWI, Cubism and Dadaism, and other artists of that time. The book is meticulously researched yet reads like fiction with the exceptional storytelling. I am glad this was translated to English, and I could easily see this becoming a movie.

Thank you NetGalley and Europa Editions for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Zehava (Joyce) · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say this book was disappointing is an understatement. The Postcard, by Anne Berest, is simply one of the best books I’ve ever read. This book was very hard to get through. To me it was both boring and incomprehensible, exploring a 10 year span of a life not quite worth exploring and about characters that were basically immoral alcoholic, drug addicted children. This story definitely had the potential to be extraordinary. The only interesting parts (and the parts that echoed The Postcard) were the parts highlighting the authors’ retelling of their exploration of their great grandparents life. If the book had been about that it would been a lot more interesting.