Françoise Gilot was a talented artist. She grew up in Paris and was taught at a young age by her mother, who was herself an artist. After studying philosophy and law, she began painting, much to her father's dismay. From 1944 to 1953, she was Picasso's mistress and muse and the mother of their children, Claude, the current administrator of Picasso's estate, and Paloma, the fashion and jewelry designer. As an artist, Gilot achieved increasing success over the years; the cubist style she explored in the early 1950s gradually evolved into an abstract style with bright colors. Her work in the De Witte Zwaan collection dates from this later period. Tulips were a favorite subject of hers. The artist donated the print to publisher Peter Gottmer (1941-1998) in 1990 on the occasion of an exhibition of her work in Amsterdam. She knew Gottmer from the publication of the book "Matisse and Picasso, the story of a friendship," written by Françoise Gilot. The print was donated to the De Witte Zwaan Foundation by Hens Gottmer, sister of Peter Gottmer. The pochoir technique is a nearly forgotten, very labor-intensive reproduction technique. It was especially popular in the early 20th century because of the flat color effects it achieved. Artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Kees van Dongen enjoyed having their work reproduced in pochoir. They left the complex and time-consuming process to specialized studios, such as the renowned Atelier Daniel Jacomet in Paris.