I like the way Anne Berest wrote her novel The Postcard, so was very eager to read her newest book Gabriële. This one being similar to that book in that again a member of her family is explored. I found this to be a fascinating, captivating read. Vibrant characters and scenes and a great exploration of artists of the time. Most definitely would recommend to those who are interested in art and history. Thanks to @europaedtions for an e-arc.

'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'.

Gabriële, co-authored by sisters Anne and Claire Berest, is a captivating biographical novel that resurrects the life of their great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia—a formidable yet overlooked figure in early 20th-century avant-garde art.Originally published in French in 2017 and now available in English translation by Tina Kover, the book masterfully blends meticulous research with imaginative storytelling to illuminate the personal and artistic legacy of a woman who profoundly influenced modern art.

Gabriële Buffet-Picabia was a pioneering composer and intellectual who became the muse and collaborator to some of the most influential artists of her time, including her husband Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp, and Guillaume Apollinaire.Despite her significant contributions, Gabriële's story remained largely untold, even within her own family. The Berest sisters, upon discovering her existence, embarked on a journey to reconstruct her life, drawing from archives, personal letters, and historical documents. Their narrative traverses the vibrant artistic circles of Paris, New York, Berlin, and Zurich, capturing Gabriële's role in shaping the Dada and Cubist movements.

The novel employs a present-tense narrative, lending immediacy and intimacy to Gabriële's experiences. This stylistic choice immerses readers in the emotional and intellectual currents that defined her life. The authors' decision to intertwine factual biography with fictionalized elements allows for a nuanced exploration of Gabriële's inner world, bridging the gaps left by historical records.

I enjoyed Gabriële's evocative prose and the authors' ability to resurrect a forgotten figure with empathy and depth. Gabriële is a compelling tribute to a woman whose intellect and creativity left an indelible mark on modern art. Through their collaborative effort, Anne and Claire Berest not only honor their ancestor but also challenge the historical erasure of women's contributions to cultural movements. This novel is a must-read for those interested in art history, feminist narratives, and the reclamation of silenced voices

In this biographical novel, sisters Claire and Anne Berest tell the story of their great grandmother, Gabriele Buffet who was at the center of the modern art world at a time when women were not prominent or really seen by male artists as more than a muse. Gabriele was a musician who left that world when she fell in love and married the Spanish artist Francis Picabia, then had a five year three-way affair with Marcel Duchamp. Her rather unconventional life is beautifully documented by the great grandchildren who never got to know her.

This novel is a fascinating look at modern art, Dadaism and many of those involved in it. I had loved the Postcard, written by Anne Berest (which also has Gabriele playing a role in that story) so I was excited to read this one as well. This book looks at how one women defied conventions of womanhood, wife and motherhood to become a force in modern art.

Thank you to Europa and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I love this book and didn’t think anything could compare to The Postcard, but Anne and Claire Betest have come up with a masterpiece about their great grandmother and it’s just as haunting and magical as The Postcard.

It is a really interesting story and I can see how many will like it. I, however, did not really enjoy this one.

I found this book totally compelling, and thoroughly enjoyed it. A blend of biography, personal memoir and fictionalised dialogue and scenes, the whole melds into a fascinating account of the life of Gabriele Buffet-Picabia, the wife of the artist Francis Picabia and the authors’ great-grandmother. Acclaimed in her day, but now largely forgotten Gabriele is remembered just as the wife of Picabia, but she was so much more than that, as the book so convincingly describes. Very much part of the avant-garde, she was both talented in her own right and influential on those around her – including Picabia himself. Historical and verifiable facts are interspersed with fictions and personal reflections to great effect. I discovered so much from my reading, and was constantly turning to Google to find out more. A wonderful read for any art lover, and the authors’ meticulous research and gift for narrative make the book a real joy.

Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, who died in 1985 at the age of 104, played a fundamental role in the cultural and artistic movements of 1900s, but she would have been lost to history if her great-granddaughters, Anne and Claire Berest, had not excavated her extraordinary life. When Ann Berest, the author of the acclaimed “The Postcard,” was on tour for that bestseller, fans mentioned “Gabrielle,” which was written prior to “The Postcard,” resulting in a second book to be translated from the original French by Tina Kover.

We are introduced to Gabriele when she is 27 years old in 1908. She was in Berlin completing the musical studies that she had begun in Paris, making a living by performing. She had no attachments. Her life was carefree. She was not accountable to anyone. At a dinner held at her childhood home in Versailles, her brother brought home the fashionable painter of the moment, the fiery Spaniard Francis Picabia. Picabia was captivated by Gabriele’s mind, but she was initially dismissive of him and of his Impressionist art. Yet, “[w]hat happens between them is a meeting of the minds that gives rise to a wave of thought and creation.”

The woman who was determined not to marry, impulsively weds — after Picabia makes a detour to end things with his mistress of a decade — and Gabriele, a member of the musical avant-garde who wanted to change the world of music, ends her musical career. It is surprising and sad that this independent woman, who had been living alone in a foreign country, denied her own creativity to foster the talents of her faithless husband and to give birth to his four children. The novel explores their union, the art movements Picabia and his peers champion, and their lively, creative circle, particularly the younger artist Marcel Duchamp, who falls in love with Gabriële.

The Berests provide insight into the strictures imposed on women at the turn of the nineteenth century and the experimentation and creativity of the Belle Epoque era before the world is devastated by the Great War. The writing style is unique as the Berests break the third wall with text throughout from their point of view as great-granddaughters. This biographical novel draws on archives, interviews, and historical works to trace Gabriele’s story, although the acquiring editor has stated that certain events are collapsed to make the story more compelling. It is fortunate that this woman, a pivotal figure in the international art community, was not lost to obscurity. Thank you Europa Editions and Net Galley for this loving tribute to a revolutionary woman.

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.

I did not finish Gabriele at 25% - I found the cross between a fiction and a biographical account of Gabriele's life to be clunky and unengaging. I think this would be better suited to fans of music and art rather than pitched as a revolutionary and passionate love story.

Beautiful book.

(No other words on my goodreads account, but thank you so much for letting me read it! I enjoyed it.)

I loved this biographical novel about Gabrielle Buffet, a distant relative of the authors. Gabrielle's story is fascinating, and through her life I learned a lot about art and music in the early 20th century.

4.75⭐️

[a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher from netgalley. thank you!]

beautiful work of non-fiction about love, music, feminism, & all things paris. the writing style drew me in, and the characters were interesting and three dimensional. many noteworthy passages and pretty descriptions.

Anne Berest's extraordinary book "The Postcard" was her first exploration of her mother's family, the Rabinowitzes. Mystery, history, and tragedy collide in a brilliant, heartbreaking tale.

With that kind of precedent, I was very excited to read "Gabriele," which delves into the life of Gabriele Buffet, paternal great-grandmother of sister authors Anne and Claire Berest. An artist, Gabriele was the muse of Marcel Duchamp, rubbing shoulders with noted Dadists, cubists, and surrealists before meeting and marrying painter Francis Picabia. She was also a gifted musician and critic, although her own talents were largely put aside to raise their four children. They divorced and during World War Two she worked with the French Resistance. alongside Samuel Beckett and his lover Suzanne Déchevaux-Dumesnil. She remained a decisive influence within avant-garde circles and probably outlived all of them, dying at the age of 104.

This is all pretty awesome, but "Gabriele" did not pull me in and incite the kind of emotion that "The Postcard" did. It's a good exploration of the life of a woman who had a front seat at the creation of notable artistic movements, but I found it hard to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book offers a captivating look at a woman whose influence shaped early 20th-century avant-garde art, particularly through her relationship with Francis Picabia. Blending meticulous research with vivid storytelling, it not only explores their extravagant and unconventional life but also provides rich insights into the artistic movements of the time, making for a compelling and immersive read.

Here's hoping Anne Berest never runs out of relatives to writer about! I don't usually read non-fiction, but her writing is so compelling I can't put her books down. I was so excited when I heard she had a book coming out following The Postcard.

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.

In trying to describe Gabrielle the authors , her great granddaughters, instead describe the complex and all consuming relationship with her husband Francis Picabia. Gabrielle had 4 children who are like ghosts in the narrative, (this is a deliberate decision) raised by Nannie’s treated like luggage and an irritation or obstacle to freedom for their parents and this is hard to read or understand through the lens of a woman alive today. For Gabrielle to disinter her son from the family tomb to make way for her ex husband an example of an unfathomable decision. I doubt that the writers understood Gabrielle either and this is a very fact-driven book. There is an uneasy tension between this story about an iconoclast, adventurer, thinker and enabler of other artists, writers, and designers and a woman, so in thrall to a selfish, narcissist who is undoubtedly bipolar , she will abandon her children’s and her own needs to mother him instead. I hoped to understand Gabrielle, perhaps being given a social, historical context for her need to rebel, sabotage, run away and challenge values and aesthetics of the day. Gabrielle is said to have made the decision to behave like a man which provided more insight. My favourite parts of the book were the personal reflection on writing about such a complex, antagonistic relative and the impact on the writers. This is a difficult book to rate because it is so factual. Despite the research and my interest in Duchamp, the early 20th century art movements and reading about a woman who was so pivotal, I found the people written about insufferable, careless, cruel, nihilistic and spoilt. But I couldn’t fault the writers.

the story was definitely nice but there was a few weaknesses. the authors interrupted the actual tale about their great-grandmother with their own convos, which was ineffective. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

What a remarkable and intelligent novel that immerses us in the story of modern art at the beginning of the last century. The two authors, sisters and great-granddaughters of Gabriële Buffet, tell the story of this exceptionally intelligent and free-spirited woman who enabled several artists, including her husband Francis Picabia, to reach their full potential. A truly enhanced art history lesson. I loved it!