Born in Paris to an architect father, Michèle Battut went to primary school in the Pas-de-Calais before entering the Lycée Fénelon High School. As a teenage she devoted her free time to painting, she participated in 1962 in her first set salons in the Salon d'Arras, Le Touquet and Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, after which she was awarded a first prize for decorative composition. The following year, she entered the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, attending René Simon's renowned drama classes at the same time and which earned her some roles in short films. She entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts (Fine Arts) in Paris in 1964 and graduated in 1969 with a degree in visual arts. The following year, she became a permanent artist at the Artcurial gallery in Paris, attracting Frédéric Mégret's attention in Le Figaro littéraire. In 1971 she won the Casa de Velasquez laureate in Madrid, which, like the Villa Medici in Rome, is a true consecration for a young artist. She became a Member of the Salon d'automne in 1972 and the following year a member of the Salon des artistes français (French Artists Salon).