Stylistic development
By the late twenties, art and fashion journals had carried Lempicka's fame across the Atlantic. She was asked to come to New York to do several portraits. The year she accepted, 1929, was the fateful year when the extravagances of many a euphoric patron came to a brutal end, as did, by the same token, the creatively carefree attitude of the artists obliged to them. She nonetheless found time enough to paint several superb portraits, and to finish off several studies of skyscrapers.
For some time after returning to France, Lempicka filled the backgrounds of her new portraits of women with idealized buildings that look like dark crystal rocks, as if to conjure up the mineral outline of a future city. In the same spirit, her female models became perfect matches for their dehumanized backdrops: women whose physical appeal hides a soul of ice (see "Portrait of Marjorie Ferry" (B.166).
But it was the tenderness of her own soul that caused her distress and drove her to create a painting - the ecstasy of "Saint Teresa of Avila" (B.140) - foreshadowing a deep, and lasting, personal mystical crisis.
By the late twenties, art and fashion journals had carried Lempicka's fame across the Atlantic. She was asked to come to New York to do several portraits. The year she accepted, 1929, was the fateful year when the extravagances of many a euphoric patron came to a brutal end, as did, by the same token, the creatively carefree attitude of the artists obliged to them. She nonetheless found time enough to paint several superb portraits, and to finish off several studies of skyscrapers.
For some time after returning to France, Lempicka filled the backgrounds of her new portraits of women with idealized buildings that look like dark crystal rocks, as if to conjure up the mineral outline of a future city. In the same spirit, her female models became perfect matches for their dehumanized backdrops: women whose physical appeal hides a soul of ice (see "Portrait of Marjorie Ferry" (B.166).
But it was the tenderness of her own soul that caused her distress and drove her to create a painting - the ecstasy of "Saint Teresa of Avila" (B.140) - foreshadowing a deep, and lasting, personal mystical crisis.
Study for "Portrait of Ira P."
Study for "Portrait of Ira P."
Study for "The Blue Scarf"
Reclining Nude
Nude with Necklace
Portrait of a Woman
New York
The Cigarette Holder
Study for the "Portrait of Mrs. Boucard"
Double Profile Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man
Study for "Portrait of Count V.M."
Study for "La Ronde"
Nude, with Raised Arms
Kneeling Nude
Nude Study
Study for "Girl Drawing"
Study for "Girl at the Window"
Study for "Girl at the Window"
The Two Girlfriends
Bust of a Woman Leaning on Her Elbow
The Polish Girl
Woman with Mandolin
The Girls
Nude with Buildings
The Blue Scarf
Portrait of Mrs. Allan Bott
The Telephone I
The Telephone II
Sleeping Girl
The Sleeping Girl
The Two Girlfriends
Portrait of Madame G.
Figure Sketched on a Gold Background
Saint Theresa of Avila
The Straw Hat
Young Lady with Gloves
Portrait of Ira P.
Spring
Portrait of a Young Lady and a Square Column
Portrait of Mrs. Boucard
Adam and Eve
Idyll
Portrait of Pierre de Montaut
Portrait of a Man with His Collar Turned Up
Nude with Sailboats
The Blue Hour
Woman with Dove
Arlette Boucard with Arums
Arums
Arums
Fullface and Profile
The Refugees
Mother and Child
The Convalescent
Portrait of Mrs. M.
The Bouquet of Carnations
Arums and Ferns
Joan of Arc
The Brilliance
Portrait of Marjorie Ferry
The Flower Wreath I
The Flower Wreath II
The Round Dance
Girl Drawing
At the Window
Portrait of Evelyne P.
Portrait of Suzy Solidor
The Sleeping Girl (Kizette) I
Portrait of Miss Poum Rachou
Wide Brimmed Hat
Portrait of Count Vettor Marcello
Portrait of Count Vettor Marcello (study)
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Girl
The Polish Girl
Polish Peasant Girl
Girl with Scarf
Girl with Bent Head
-
Study for "Portrait of Ira P."
A.1301930Crayon on paper19 x 12,5 cm (7 1/2 x 4 7/8 in)LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Etude pour le "portrait d'Ira Perrot")See B.143Collections1984 - Private collection - Spain -
Study for "Portrait of Ira P."
A.1311930Crayon on paper27 x 21 cm (10 5/8 x 8 1/4 in)LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom right)measurements of the drawing: 12,3 x 7,2 cm (Etude pour le portrait d'Ira P.)See B.143Collections1972 - Private collection - France -
Study for "The Blue Scarf"
A.1321930Crayon on paper35,8 x 25,4 cm (14 1/8 x 10 in)(Etude pour "l'écharpe bleue")See B.131Auctions18/02/1988 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Shira-6540”, # 63 $ 11 000 -
Reclining Nude
A.133circa1930Conté pencil on paper20 x 44 cm (7 7/8 x 17 3/8 in)T.de Lempicka 1924. (bottom right)(Nu couché)La date, ajoutée ultérieurement, n'est pas fiable.Collections1993 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Nude with Necklace
A.134circa1930Crayon on paper18,5 x 24,5 cm (7 1/4 x 9 5/8 in)T.de Lempicka (bottom center)(Nu au collier)Collections1989 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanAuctions23/06/1989 - PARIS. Charbonneaux., # 1 $ 3 100 -
Portrait of a Woman
A.135circa1930Crayon on paper23,6 x 14,2 cm (9 1/4 x 5 5/8 in)LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom left)(Portrait de femme)Auctions21/06/1988 - PARIS. Briest, # 158 $ 3 000 -
New York
A.136circa1930Crayon on paper16 x 11 cm (6 1/4 x 4 3/8 in)LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom right)(New York)Collections1985 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryFirst stay in the UNITED STATES, Addresses: Tamara de Lempicka travelled to New York in September 1929, in order to fulfil several commissions. The press was very much taken with the beautiful Polish woman's aura. Her skilful way of suggesting the aristocratic charms of the Old World high society in her art made her a manner of ambassadress of that world. -
The Cigarette Holder
A.137circa1930Conté pencil on paper9,8 x 14,8 cm (3 7/8 x 5 7/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (in a cartouche bottom right)sight (Le fume-cigarette)Collections1972 - Private collection - France -
Study for the "Portrait of Mrs. Boucard"
A.138circa1930Crayon on paper20,8 x 16,5 cm (8 1/4 x 6 1/2 in)LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom right)(Etude pour le "portrait de Madame Boucard") measurements of the drawing: 14 x 8,8 cmsee B.146Collections1972 - Private collection - FranceHistoryDoctor BOUCARD, Client: Second only to Baron Kuffner, the physician Pierre Boucard - inventor of the famous "Lactéol" pill - was an enthusiastic collector of Lempicka's works. He was, moreover, a friend of the photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue as well, often appearing in the latter's photos of various joyous occasions at the French coastal resort of Deauville. In addition to his own portrait, his wife's, and his daughter's, this avid collector also owned "The Slave" (B.119), and "Myrto" (B.118), although the latter fell victim to a German pillager at the war's end (as noted by Lempicka in her album). -
Double Profile Portrait of a Man
A.139circa1931Crayon on paper80 x 59,6 cm (31 1/2 x 23 1/2 in)(Portrait d'homme dédoublé)Auctions05/10/1989 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Peter-6908”, # 68 $ 17 000 -
Portrait of a Man
A.140circa1932Crayon on paper33 x 24 cm (13 x 9 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Portrait d'homme)Collections1982 - Private collection - BelgiumExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Study for "Portrait of Count V.M."
A.141circa1932Crayon on paper22,5 x 17 cm (8 7/8 x 6 3/4 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom left)(Etude pour le "portrait du comte V.M.")See B.177.Collections1985 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryCount Vettor MARCELLO, Client: The count's lineage reaches far back in time, to include - besides several valorous warriors who drove back the Turkish - three doges of Venice and a composer of chamber music. In the early thirties, artists, together with the land's rich and famous, all congregated at his "villa" near Padua. In 1933, Lempicka was also a guest there on several occasions. -
Study for "La Ronde"
A.142circa1932Crayon on paper19,2 x 13,5 cm (7 1/2 x 5 3/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Etude pour "la ronde")See B.169.Collections1972 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Nude, with Raised Arms
A.143circa1932Crayon on paper14,7 x 11 cm (5 3/4 x 4 3/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom left)(Nu, les bras levés)Auctions21/06/1988 - PARIS. Briest, # 159 $ 2 670 -
Kneeling Nude
A.144circa1932Crayon on paper14,4 x 10,7 cm (5 5/8 x 4 1/4 in)LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom right)(Nu agenouillé)Collections1972 - Private collection - France -
Nude Study
A.145circa1932Crayon on paper15,5 x 21,5 cm (6 1/8 x 8 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom left)(Etude de nu)Auctions21/06/1988 - PARIS. Briest, # 156 $ 2 000 -
Study for "Girl Drawing"
A.146circa1932Crayon on paper32 x 23 cm (12 5/8 x 9 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Etude pour "jeune fille dessinant")See B.170.Auctions21/06/1988 - PARIS. Briest, # 143 $ 8 670 -
Study for "Girl at the Window"
A.147circa1932Crayon on paper13 x 10 cm (5 1/8 x 3 7/8 in)(Etude pour "A la fenêtre")See B.171.Collections1980 - Fundacion Victor Manuel Contreras - Mexico -
Study for "Girl at the Window"
A.148circa1932Crayon on paper13,1 x 10 cm (5 1/8 x 3 7/8 in)LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Etude pour "A la fenêtre")See B.171.Collections1972 - Private collection - France -
The Two Girlfriends
A.149circa1933Crayon on paper24 x 15 cm (9 1/2 x 5 7/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA (artist's stamp bottom right)(Les deux amies)Auctions21/06/1988 - PARIS. Briest, # 148 $ 2 170 -
Bust of a Woman Leaning on Her Elbow
A.150circa1933Crayon on paper21,6 x 17,8 cm (8 1/2 x 7 in)T.Lempicka/ Paris 1924 (bottom right)(Femme en buste, accoudée)1924 seems like an improbable date.Collections1980 - Private collection - U.S.A. -
The Polish Girl
A.151circa1933Aquatint45 x 36 cm (17 3/4 x 14 1/8 in)(La Polonaise)Aquatint after "The Polish Girl". See B.182,Image: 34,5 x 26,5 cm.Collections1972 - Private collection - France
1993 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanAuctions05/06/1991 - PARIS. Chayette, Calmels, # ? $ 0
19/03/1989 - VERRIERES-LE-BUISSON. Martin du N., # F $ 5 300
19/06/1991 - PARIS. Boisgirard, # 1 $ 4 900
07/06/1991 - PARIS. Lenormand, Dayen, # 15 $ 0 -
Woman with Mandolin
A.152circa1933Aquatint63 x 41 cm (24 3/4 x 16 1/8 in)(Femme à la mandoline)Aquatint after "La Musicienne". See B.117, Image: 56,5 x 36 cm. (22 1/4 x 14 1/8 in.)Collections1972 - Private collection - France
1980 - Private collection - Great Britain
1992 - Walter Haas Gallery - SwitzerlandExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanAuctions05/05/1986 - PARIS. Renaud, # 27 $ 7 860
14/11/1992 - KÖLN. Ham Kunsthaus am Museum Carola, # 676 $ 5 400
24/06/1990 - SEMUR-EN-AUXOIS. Le Roy, # ? $ 15 900
19/06/1991 - PARIS. Boisgirard, # 2 $ 9 100 -
The Girls
B.128circa1930Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Les jeunes filles *)At the heart of the cold and threatening metropolis, two "girls" - not all that innocent - snuggle up to each other. Lempicka appreciated this 5F format, because it enabled her to crop her images very tightly. Perhaps she brought along several of these very handy panels in order to do paintings on them during her stay in New York, as may well have been the case for this work, which remained in the United States.Collections1932 - Purchased directly by Mr. Carlo Grassi - Egypt
1982 - Walter Haas Gallery - Switzerland
1983 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1983 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1990 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1932 - Galerie Fauvety, Paris, France
1984 - Hollywood American Legion Post, "Tamara", Los Angeles, United States
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyHistoryFirst stay in the UNITED STATES, Addresses: Tamara de Lempicka travelled to New York in September 1929, in order to fulfil several commissions. The press was very much taken with the beautiful Polish woman's aura. Her skilful way of suggesting the aristocratic charms of the Old World high society in her art made her a manner of ambassadress of that world. -
Nude with Buildings
B.1291930Oil on canvas92 x 73 cm (36 1/4 x 28 3/4 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top left)(Nu aux buildings)A young woman, who has lowered all her defenses, clasps a frail olive branch between her fingers. It represents the natural world, a recollection that seems far away indeed, in this petrified and chilling urban desert.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Mr. Théonville - Switzerland
1979 - Private collection - France
1983 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Salon des Indépendants 1931, Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1981 - Walter Haas: Art Déco, le Style Moderne, Zürich, SwitzerlandHistoryFirst stay in the UNITED STATES, Addresses: Tamara de Lempicka travelled to New York in September 1929, in order to fulfil several commissions. The press was very much taken with the beautiful Polish woman's aura. Her skilful way of suggesting the aristocratic charms of the Old World high society in her art made her a manner of ambassadress of that world.Auctions26/05/1983 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Ivan-5360", # 425 $ 190 000 -
The Blue Scarf
B.1311930Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. 30 (bottom right); L'écharpe 1282 (on the back of the panel)(L'écharpe bleue *)Final circa ion (signed and dated) of the portrait of a very pretty woman, who could be Mrs. Allan Bott, according to Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall's handwritten annotation, under the photo of the first circa ion of this portrait.Collections1930 - Private collection -Exhibitions1930 - Salon d'Automne 1930, Paris, France -
Portrait of Mrs. Allan Bott
B.1321930Oil on canvas162 x 97 cm (63 3/4 x 38 1/4 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. / 1930 PARIS (bottom left)(Portrait de Madame Allan Bott *)A work that is the very quintessence of Lempicka's art. The beautiful and rich American portrayed here seems to be levitating halfway up the surrounding skyscrapers, as if to personify the exhilaration of capitalism.Collections1933 - Purchased directly by Mr. Allan Bott - Italy
1989 - Private collection - SwitzerlandExhibitions1930 - Galerie Colette Weil 1930, "Tamara de Lempicka", Paris, France
1930 - Salon des Tuileries 1930, Paris, FranceHistoryFirst stay in the UNITED STATES, Addresses: Tamara de Lempicka travelled to New York in September 1929, in order to fulfil several commissions. The press was very much taken with the beautiful Polish woman's aura. Her skilful way of suggesting the aristocratic charms of the Old World high society in her art made her a manner of ambassadress of that world.Auctions10/05/1989 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “5850-Ripipoint”, # 379 $ 1 200 000 -
The Telephone I
B.1331930DE LEMPICKA / 30 . PARIS. (top left)(Le téléphone * I)First stage of "Telephone II"? (see B.134)Collections1930 - Unknown collection - -
The Telephone II
B.1341930Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)LEMPICKA. (top right)(Le téléphone * II)Why leave such a modern device as a telephone exclusively to movie close-ups? With her precise brushwork, Lempicka proved that this black ebonite object could also be turned into something eminently pictorial.Collections1980 - Private collection - GermanyExhibitions1930 - Galerie Colette Weil 1930, "Tamara de Lempicka", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy -
Sleeping Girl
B.135circa1930Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Dormeuse *)Lempicka painted several sleeping figures: we detect the suggestion of a dance movement in the one depicted here.Collections1934 - Purchased directly by Baron Jacques de K - FranceExhibitions1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France -
The Sleeping Girl
B.1361930Oil on wood panel38 x 46 cm (15 x 18 1/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (top left)(La dormeuse *)Lempicka's paintings are always motionless and silent. Her art detests movement. Dreams are her realm.Collections1930 - Purchased directly by Mrs. Evelyne Artus - U.S.A.
1997 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1997 - Stephen E. Myers, Worth Avenue Fine Arts - U.S.A.Exhibitions1941 - Julien Levy Gallery, "Tamara de Lempicka / (Baroness de Kuffner)", New-York, United States
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
The Two Girlfriends
B.1371930Oil on wood panel73 x 38 cm (28 3/4 x 15 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Les deux amies *)This work is the first circa ion of a composition to which the artist would often revert in the future.Collections1930 - Purchased directly by Mr. Laurent - France
1988 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1930 - Salon d'Automne 1930, Paris, FranceAuctions12/05/1988 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Man Ray-6596”, # 286 $ 270 000
25/06/1987 - ENGHIEN. Champin, Lombrail , # 249 $ 235 000 -
Portrait of Madame G.
B.138circa1930Oil on canvas41 x 33 cm (16 1/8 x 13 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Portrait de Madame G.)It is towards an interior heaven that Mrs. G. seems to be rolling her eyes.Collections1934 - Collection of Ira Perrot - France
1985 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanAuctions29/11/1985 - PARIS. Boisgirard, # 68 $ 28 350 -
Figure Sketched on a Gold Background
B.139circa1930Oil on cardboard35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)(Figure esquissée sur fond doré)Collections1990 - Private collection - Germany -
Saint Theresa of Avila
B.1401930Oil on wood panelT.DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Sainte Thérèse d'Avila)Saint Theresa of Avila described her mystic visions as moments of rapture ("arrobamiento"). At such times, she claimed, she felt she was being subjected to "savory torture", an experience captured here in all its sensualism. In Gioia Mori's opinion, this composition renews with the "Ecstasy of St. Theresa" sculpted by Bernini (Sta. Maria della Vittoria, Cornaro Chapel, Rome, ca. 1630).Collections1930 - Unknown collection -HistoryThe RELIGIOUS FEELING, Biography, Psychology: Religious feeling, intrinsic to Tamara de Lempicka's nature, began showing through in her oeuvre with works such as "Mother and Child" (B.12), although, admittedly, this work in particular was created under the direct influence of Maurice Denis. The moral crisis undergone by the artist from 1934 to 1936 exacerbated this feeling. And, finally, at the end of her life, Lempicka commended her soul to God through her numerous replicas of Madonna and St. Anthony (which, moreover, stood side to side with other copies of the sulfurous Rafaëla). -
The Straw Hat
B.1411930Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. / 30.PARIS (top right)(Le chapeau de paille)A painting is listed in Lempicka's album, along with the date of its completion: April 1930. By this time, she had returned to Paris, after a long stay in New York. She again took to painting on the mahogany 5F format panels she was so used to, but now in a less geometric style, and with wavier lines, than before her departure for the States.Collections1930 - Purchased directly by Mr. Henri Fraisse - France
1981 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1993 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1984 - Hollywood American Legion Post, "Tamara", Los Angeles, United States
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Young Lady with Gloves
B.1421930Oil on plywood61 x 46 cm (24 x 18 1/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Jeune fille aux gants)This painting could have been entitled "The Navel", considering the lengths to which the artist went to glorify this fascinating anatomic detail, whose deepness matches that of the corolla of an arum flower. The unabashed sensualism of this painting did not discourage the Museum of Luxembourg's Acquisitions Committee from purchasing it, at the Salon des Indépendants of 1923.Collections1932 - Fonds National d'Art Contemporain -Exhibitions1932 - Salon des Indépendants 1932, Paris, France
1937 - Musée du Jeu de Paume, "Les femmes artistes d'Europe", Paris, France
1975 - Scottish Art Council, "Fashion 1900-1939", Edimburgh-London, Great Britain
1977 - Nationalgalerie, "Tendenzen der Zwanziger Jahre", Berlin, Germany
1989 - Hayward Gallery 89, "La France, Images of Woman and Ideas of Nation, 1789-1989", London, Great Britain
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyHistory1932, Chronology: The Musée du Luxembourg in Paris paid 8,000 francs for Young Lady with Gloves (B.142), which had been exhibited in the Salon des Indépendants. Her first showing with "Femmes Artistes Modernes", a group of feminist artists, known by the initials "FAM", who were to include her in their annual exhibition until their association was abandoned. Pathé News devoted a sequence to her, filmed in her studio. -
Portrait of Ira P.
B.1431930Oil on wood panel99 x 65 cm (39 x 25 5/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Portrait d'Ira P. *)This amorous masterpiece uses satin's tendency to hug the body to particularly brilliant effect, highlighting the model's charms. At the same time, the arum flowers - a favorite of Lempicka's - are depicted wrapping around themselves as sensually as the white material wraps around Ira P.'s body.Collections1930 - Collection of Ira Perrot - France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg - France
1980 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1930 - Salon des Indépendants 1930, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, FranceHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust!
Ira PERROT, Family or close friend: Until 1939, Ira Perrot and Lempicka were close friends. Besides sitting for her 1930 portrait ("Portrait of Ira Perrot" [B.143]), most probably Perrot was also the model for "Woman in the Black Dress" (B.31) and "Her Sadness" (B.30). The latter work is listed in Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall's book as "Portrait of Mrs. P." -
Spring
B.1441930Oil on wood panel41 x 33 cm (16 1/8 x 13 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Printemps *)The title and the subject matter are both inspired by the spirit of the Renaissance, while the gestural elements take inspiration from silent movies. Here again, Lempicka has achieved a fruitful synthesis.Collections1930 - Purchased directly by Dr. Pierre Boucard - France
1984 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1994 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Galerie Colette Weil 1931, "Tamara de Lempicka", Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1992 - The National Museum of Women in the Art, "Polish Women Artists and Avant-Garde/Voices of Freedom", Washington, United States
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy
1996 - Barry Friedman Ltd. "Tamara de Lempicka", New-York, United States -
Portrait of a Young Lady and a Square Column
B.145circa1931Oil on canvas100 x 51 cm (39 3/8 x 20 1/8 in)(Portrait de jeune femme à la colonne carrée)No buildings are to be seen in the background, but the mineral surroundings lose nothing of their chill.Collections1975 - Private collection - SwitzerlandExhibitions1976 - Galerie von Bartha-Lönn, "Europeisk Konst", Göteborg, Sweden
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Portrait of Mrs. Boucard
B.1461931Oil on canvas135 x 75 cm (53 1/8 x 29 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Portrait de Madame Boucard *)Lempicka was the only twentieth-century painter to continue the tradition of grand portraiture, without denying any of the conventions that, in centuries past, made its subjects come across so powerfully and haughtily. In this portrait in a Renaissance spirit, the background city seems subjugated to the subject figure's magnificence.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Dr. Pierre Boucard - France
1987 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Galerie Colette Weil 1931, "Tamara de Lempicka", Paris, France
1931 - Salon d'Automne 1931, Paris, France
1932 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1932, FAM, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1991 - Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, "Les années 20, l'âge des métropoles", Montréal, CanadaHistoryDoctor BOUCARD, Client: Second only to Baron Kuffner, the physician Pierre Boucard - inventor of the famous "Lactéol" pill - was an enthusiastic collector of Lempicka's works. He was, moreover, a friend of the photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue as well, often appearing in the latter's photos of various joyous occasions at the French coastal resort of Deauville. In addition to his own portrait, his wife's, and his daughter's, this avid collector also owned "The Slave" (B.119), and "Myrto" (B.118), although the latter fell victim to a German pillager at the war's end (as noted by Lempicka in her album).Auctions12/11/1987 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “5633-Tzanck”, # 377 $ 775 000 -
Adam and Eve
B.1471931Oil on wood panel116 x 73 cm (45 5/8 x 28 3/4 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(Adam et Eve *)The male model who came to Lempicka's studio to pose as Adam was, Lempicka maintained, a policeman doing his rounds in the neighborhood. Long thereafter, the artist remembered how, after entering her studio, the handsome public official had painstakingly folded his uniform, setting down upon it "his big pistol"...(cf. "Passion by Design" by K. de Lempicka-Foxhall). An interview published in the Polish review "Kobieta W..." informs us that this painting, originally intended as a poster for a film called "Sexualism", was turned down by the Paris police headquarters.Collections1970 - Private collection - Switzerland
1982 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1983 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1994 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1932 - Salon des Indépendants 1932, Paris, France
1933 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1933, FAM, Paris, France
1937 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1937, FAM, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1984 - Hollywood American Legion Post, "Tamara", Los Angeles, United StatesAuctions03/03/1994 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Streisand-7844”, # 149 $ 1 800 000 -
Idyll
B.1481931Oil on wood panel41 x 33 cm (16 1/8 x 13 in)LEMPICKA (top right)(Idylle *)We recognize the same moonlit port here as in "Portrait of Arlette Boucard" (B.95). Only the name of the boat has changed: this time it is the "Lempicka" that we see alongside the pier. The sailor, of course, is smoking a pipe, although the way he holds it makes him seem less of an old salt.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Mr. Boutemy - France
1980 - Alain Lesieutre Gallery - France
1991 - Private collection - JapanExhibitions1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, JapanHistoryThe poetry of PORTS, Biography, Psychology: In a delightful article published in the 16 June 1961 edition of Aux Ecoutes, the critic Michel Georges-Michel gave an account of his before-the-war encounter with Lempicka in a sailor bar in Cannes (see Bibliography Georges-Michel Michel, art. cit.). The shady and nostalgic poetry of ports was greatly appreciated in the realist literature and movies of this era. André Lhote, too, enjoyed depicting it.Auctions15/11/1989 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Patty-6956”, # 447 $ 0
02/07/1991 - PARIS. Ader, Tajan, # 348 $ 340 315 -
Portrait of Pierre de Montaut
B.1491931Oil on wood panel41 x 27 cm (16 1/8 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA (bottom right)(Portrait de Pierre de Montaut *)Pierre de Montaut was the portraitist's brother-in-law, an architect by profession and a member of the very avant-gardist Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM). In the background of this work, we seem to recognize an impasse in Auteuil (Paris) that was entirely built by his colleague Robert Mallet-Stevens, and which has since been named after him (villa Mallet-Stevens).Collections1933 - Purchased directly by Mr. De Montaut - France
1990 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistory1931, Chronology: She had a one-woman show at the Galerie Colette Weil for the second year in sucession. The year saw some of her best portraits. She continued her liaison with baron Raoul Kuffner, whom she had met in 1927 when he had commissioned her to paint a portrait of his mistress, the dancer Nana de Herrera (cat.40).
Pierre DE MONTAUT, Family or close friend: Pierre de MONTAUT, an architect and member of the U.A.M. (Union des Artistes Modernes), was Lempicka's brother-in-law. Lempicka's sister - Adrienne Gorska or Ada de Montaut - was an architect in her own right (see "Adrienne GORSKA).
Adrienne GORSKA, Family or close friend: Lempicka's sister was an architect and a member of the U.A.M. (Union des Architectes Modernes), to which Robert Mallet-Stevens, who designed the rue Méchain building, also belonged. She married Pierre de Montaut, another U.A.M. member, and together they specialized in designing movie houses. It was Gorska who was responsible for the interior decoration of Lempicka's studio, for which she created several furniture pieces in chrome metal. Her pieces were a perfect match to the complement of furnishings provided by her colleagues, Djo-Bourgeois, René Herbst, and, of course, Mallet-Stevens. Ada de Montaut passed away in 1969. -
Portrait of a Man with His Collar Turned Up
B.150circa1931Oil on wood panel41 x 33 cm (16 1/8 x 13 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top left)(Portrait d'homme au col relevé)Even today, this superb portrait of a man is hardly outdated. Notice the lips, which are as thick as in the portrait of the Grand Duke Gabriel.Collections1930 - Purchased directly by Mr. Charles Gillal - U.S.A.
1983 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1984 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1984 - Hollywood American Legion Post, "Tamara", Los Angeles, United StatesAuctions26/03/1983 - NEW YORK. Christie's ”Tamara-5286", # 99 $ 18 000 -
Nude with Sailboats
B.1511931Oil on canvas113 x 56,5 cm (44 1/2 x 22 1/4 in)DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Nu aux voiliers)The nude and the background of this work complement each other: the triangular patches thrown on the bodies by shadows echo the stylized forms of the sails.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Mr. Henry W. Abott - U.S.A.
1989 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1990 - Collection of Mr. Bruce R. Lewin - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Carnegie Institute 1931, "30th International Exhibition of Paintings", Pittsburgh, United States
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyHistoryThe poetry of PORTS, Biography, Psychology: In a delightful article published in the 16 June 1961 edition of Aux Ecoutes, the critic Michel Georges-Michel gave an account of his before-the-war encounter with Lempicka in a sailor bar in Cannes (see Bibliography Georges-Michel Michel, art. cit.). The shady and nostalgic poetry of ports was greatly appreciated in the realist literature and movies of this era. André Lhote, too, enjoyed depicting it. -
The Blue Hour
B.1521931Oil on canvas55 x 38 cm (21 5/8 x 15 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(L'heure bleue *)Judging from the number of replicas she made of this work, Lempicka must have been particularly satisfied with it. Ellen Thorman, however, discovered that it directly repeats the composition of a certain Karl Sterrer's (Vienna 1885-?) painting, entitled "Frau mit Schiffen" and dated 1925.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Baron Jacques de K - France
1981 - Private collection - France
1982 - Mathysen-Gerst - U.S.A.
1988 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Galerie Colette Weil 1931, "Tamara de Lempicka", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, JapanHistoryThe poetry of PORTS, Biography, Psychology: In a delightful article published in the 16 June 1961 edition of Aux Ecoutes, the critic Michel Georges-Michel gave an account of his before-the-war encounter with Lempicka in a sailor bar in Cannes (see Bibliography Georges-Michel Michel, art. cit.). The shady and nostalgic poetry of ports was greatly appreciated in the realist literature and movies of this era. André Lhote, too, enjoyed depicting it.Auctions16/12/1983 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Elmore-5478”, # 265 $ 0 -
Woman with Dove
B.1531931Oil on wood panel37 x 28 cm (14 5/8 x 11 in)DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Femme à la colombe *)The dove looks dead, and the woman's dreams seem shattered. The light of the setting sun intensifies the figure's melancholy, while the dramatic chiaroscoro and centering of the image, as always in Lempicka's oeuvre, have a powerful impact.Collections1931 - Purchased directly by Mr. Davenport - France
1980 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyHistoryThe symbol of DOVE, Biography, Psychology: The dove first appears in Lempicka's portrait of her daughter as "The Communicant" (B.102); it recurs in several works. As the symbol of purity and peace, Aphrodite's bird is also depicted as the messenger of desire (see "Nude with Dove" [B.104] and "Myrto [B.118]). When dead, it of course means that the love message was not heard ("Woman with Dove", B.153). -
Arlette Boucard with Arums
B.1541931Oil on plywood91 x 55,5 cm (35 7/8 x 21 7/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (bottom left)(Arlette Boucard aux arums *)Lempicka took much inspiration from the movie and photograph worlds of her day. She did not seek to copy them, in a hyperrealist fashion, but rather to capture their new charms, especially with respect to the artificial lighting in studio work. The shape and position of the label appearing under the photo reveal that the cliché comes from a studio belonging to Lorelle, a photographer who, moreover, also made several lovely portraits of Lempicka.Collections1994 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1995 - Private collection - GermanyExhibitions1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1981 - Walter Haas: Art Déco, le Style Moderne, Zürich, SwitzerlandHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust!
Doctor BOUCARD, Client: Second only to Baron Kuffner, the physician Pierre Boucard - inventor of the famous "Lactéol" pill - was an enthusiastic collector of Lempicka's works. He was, moreover, a friend of the photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue as well, often appearing in the latter's photos of various joyous occasions at the French coastal resort of Deauville. In addition to his own portrait, his wife's, and his daughter's, this avid collector also owned "The Slave" (B.119), and "Myrto" (B.118), although the latter fell victim to a German pillager at the war's end (as noted by Lempicka in her album).Auctions12/11/1988 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “5777-Merma”, # 406 $ 200 000 -
Arums
B.155circa1931Oil on wood panel92 x 60 cm (36 1/4 x 23 5/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Arums )The often published date of 1941 for this work is obviously erroneous. The style and technique involved definitely date it to the early thirties.Collections1927 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1985 - Mathysen-Gerst - U.S.A.
1990 - Collection of Patricia and James Cayne - U.S.A.Exhibitions1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust!Auctions14/06/1985 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's "5358-Plage”, # 106 $ 72 500 -
Arums
B.1561931Oil on wood panel55 x 33 cm (21 5/8 x 13 in)T.DE LEMPICKA.1931. (bottom center)(Arums)Collections1984 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1990 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1931 - Salon des Indépendants 1931, Paris, France
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy
1996 - Barry Friedman Ltd. "Tamara de Lempicka", New-York, United States
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust!Auctions03/10/1990 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “Nuptial”, # 106 $ 0 -
Fullface and Profile
B.157circa1931Oil on canvas46 x 38 cm (18 1/8 x 15 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom left)(Face et profil)Here again (cf. "Double 47" [B.33], "Fullface and Profile" [B.157]), Lempicka proceeds to depict one and the same figure from two different angles, thus achieving a strange ubiquity.Collections1978 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1981 - Seibu, "Tamara de Lempicka", Tokyo-Osaka, Japan
1984 - Hollywood American Legion Post, "Tamara", Los Angeles, United States -
The Refugees
B.1581931Oil on wood panel51 x 53 cm (20 1/8 x 20 7/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top left)(Les réfugiés *)Long before becoming Baroness Kuffner, Lempicka had travelled the roads of exile. Perhaps this painting of Spanish refugees reflects her experience in the matter. A reproduction of this work appeared in the daily "El Popular" of August 26, 1932.Collections1976 - Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de St Denis - FranceExhibitions1939 - Paul Reinhardt Galleries, "Tamara de Lempicka, Paintings and Portraits", New-York, United States
1941 - Julien Levy Gallery, "Tamara de Lempicka / (Baroness de Kuffner)", New-York, United States
1942 - Milwaukee Art Center, "Tamara de Lempicka (Baroness Kuffner)", Milwaukee, United States
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryThe obsession with EXILE, Biography, Psychology: Exile remained a lifelong obsession with Lempicka. It comes through in several of her paintings: "The Refugees" (B.158), 1931; "Before the Storm" (B.195), 1936; and "Flight" (B.220), 1940. The artist actually experienced two radical breaks in her life: the first when she left Bolshevik Russia in dramatic circumstances in 1918; and the second (better prepared!) in 1939, when she left for the United States. -
Mother and Child
B.1591931Oil on wood panel33 x 24 cm (13 x 9 1/2 in)LEMPICKA. (top right)(Mère et enfant *)In the "Beaux Arts" art review of June 1931, this painting is referred to as a "study", but certain parts of it - especially the hand, which resembles the hand in the artist's 1937 "Quattrocento" (B.197) - must have been touched up several years later.Collections1935 - Collection of G.Ankermann - Holland
1976 - Musée départemental de l'Oise, Beauvais - FranceExhibitions1932 - Studio on rue Méchain, Paris, France
1939 - Paul Reinhardt Galleries, "Tamara de Lempicka, Paintings and Portraits", New-York, United States
1941 - Julien Levy Gallery, "Tamara de Lempicka / (Baroness de Kuffner)", New-York, United States
1942 - Milwaukee Art Center, "Tamara de Lempicka (Baroness Kuffner)", Milwaukee, United States
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy -
The Convalescent
B.1601932Oil on wood panel56 x 42 cm (22 x 16 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (bottom left)(La convalescente *)This marvelous portrait conveys a tenderness rarely exploited in modern art after 1914-18. No doubt, more well-known painters, who might have been tempted to do so, were stopped at the last minute by the very modernist fear of being taxed as overly sentimental. Lempicka knew no such barriers: was she unaware of them, or simply naive? In any case, her forthright attitude led her to attain a unique status in twentieth-century art.Collections1932 - Purchased directly by Mr. Lemoine - France
1975 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1932 - Salon d'Automne 1932, Paris, France
1933 - Salon des Indépendants 1933, Paris, France
1996 - Barry Friedman Ltd. "Tamara de Lempicka", New-York, United States
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Portrait of Mrs. M.
B.1611932Oil on canvas100 x 65 cm (39 3/8 x 25 5/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(Portrait de Madame M. *)One of the artist's last big portraits. By 1932, the economic crisis had hit Europe as well, and such lavish commissions had become a scarcity.Collections1932 - Purchased directly by Mr. Morillot - France
1987 - Private collection - France
1989 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1932 - Salon des Tuileries 1932, Paris, France
1932 - Studio on rue Méchain, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, FranceAuctions16/11/1989 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “5930-Rêve”, # 409A $ 900 000 -
The Bouquet of Carnations
B.162circa1932Oil on canvas30,5 x 35,5 cm (12 x 14 in)LEMPICKA. (top left)(Le bouquet d’œillets)Dated by analogy with the painting "Arums and Ferns" (B.163).CollectionsPrivate collection - U.S.A. -
Arums and Ferns
B.1631932Oil on canvas(Arums et fougères *)Ever since its appearance at the 1932 Salon des Tuileries, and to this date (1998), this painting has never resurfaced on the market.Collections1932 - Unknown collection -Exhibitions1932 - Salon des Tuileries 1932, Paris, FranceHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust! -
Joan of Arc
B.1641932Oil on wood panel41 x 27 cm (16 1/8 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom left)(Jeanne d'Arc *)This is an uncommon vision of Joan of Arc. Thus, her allegory escapes the usual conventions linked to depictions of this saint. This painting is the first in a long series of religious works expressing the artist's growing disquiet.Collections1932 - Unknown collection -Exhibitions1933 - Macy's, New York, New-York, United States
1933 - Salon des Tuileries 1933, Paris, FranceHistoryThe CALLA LILIES, Biography, Psychology: What could be the significance of the artist's lifelong passion for arum flowers? In Lempicka's work, the objects selected to compose her still lifes - which often bring to mind riddles to be decoded - usually have a symbolic meaning. In the light of her oeuvre, we can easily guess at the symbolism of the arum flower: the white corolla of course brings the ideal of purity to mind, while the tumescent pistil at its center is the very image of concupiscence. Illustrating the artist's tormented mind, it represents, in a manner of speaking, the unstable marriage of sanctity and lust!
The RELIGIOUS FEELING, Biography, Psychology: Religious feeling, intrinsic to Tamara de Lempicka's nature, began showing through in her oeuvre with works such as "Mother and Child" (B.12), although, admittedly, this work in particular was created under the direct influence of Maurice Denis. The moral crisis undergone by the artist from 1934 to 1936 exacerbated this feeling. And, finally, at the end of her life, Lempicka commended her soul to God through her numerous replicas of Madonna and St. Anthony (which, moreover, stood side to side with other copies of the sulfurous Rafaëla). -
The Brilliance
B.165circa1932Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (top right)(L'éclat *)Caravaggesque lighting dramatically enhances the appeal of this maenad (or "bacchante", as Lempicka temporarily entitled the work in a letter to Gino Puglisi); her rolled eyes add a note of ecstasy to this Dionysian subject.Collections1990 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1933 - Salon des Indépendants 1933, Paris, France -
Portrait of Marjorie Ferry
B.1661932Oil on canvas100 x 65 cm (39 3/8 x 25 5/8 in)LEMPICKA. (bottom left)(Portrait de Marjorie Ferry *)Certainly the most scathing of Lempicka's portraits: implacably bathed in light, the balcony and columns appear to be made of sheet iron. This freezing decor is belied by Marjorie's promising gaze, inviting the viewer to surrender to the heat of desire.Collections1932 - Purchased directly by Mr. Ferry - France
1995 - Private collection - GermanyExhibitions1932 - Salon des Tuileries 1932, Paris, France
1932 - Studio on rue Méchain, Paris, France
1934 - Galerie du Cygne, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, FranceHistoryMrs. Marjorie FERRY, Client: The Sotheby's auction catalog entry (9 November 1995) informs us that: "According to family tradition, Marjorie Ferry was a cabaret singer, born in London but living in Paris. She married twice, the second time with a Parisian speculator who commissioned this portrait."Auctions09/11/1995 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's "6770-Zabbik", # 250 $ 552 500 -
The Flower Wreath I
B.167circa1932LEMPICKA. (top left)(La couronne de fleurs I)There is a good chance that the painting shown in this old cliché by Marc Vaux represents the first stage of "The Flower Wreath II" (B.168). -
The Flower Wreath II
B.168circa1932Oil on wood panel31 x 22 cm (12 1/4 x 8 5/8 in)Tamara de Lempicka/Paris, 1925 (on the back of the panel)(La couronne de fleurs II)The panel, seen from a present day vantage point (see B.167), seems to have been reworked and modified by the artist during the fiftees. It is then, no doubt, that Lempicka again added her signature, on the back of the work, together with an approximate date.Collections1988 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1994 - Private collection - U.S.A.Auctions06/10/1988 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Gabrielle-6668”, # 133 $ 30 000 -
The Round Dance
B.169circa1932Oil on wood panel(La ronde *)This strange triangular composition expresses the basics of Lempicka's art, through its synthesis of strongly contrasted movie images in black-and-white, and Caravaggesque chiaroscuro.Collections1932 - Unknown collection -Exhibitions1933 - Salon des Indépendants 1933, Paris, France
1933 - Salon d'Automne 1933, Paris, France
1933 - Salon des Tuileries 1933, Paris, France
1934 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1934, FAM, Paris, France
1939 - Paul Reinhardt Galleries, "Tamara de Lempicka, Paintings and Portraits", New-York, United States -
Girl Drawing
B.170circa1932Oil on wood panel(Jeune fille dessinant)Collections1934 - Purchased directly by Mr. Lidorikis - GreeceExhibitions1935 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1935, FAM, Paris, France -
At the Window
B.1711932Oil on wood panel39 x 29 cm (15 3/8 x 11 3/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom right)(A la fenêtre *)The viewer - theoretically located in the void beyond the painting - has an outside angle of vision that lends the scene an unusual, staged effect. The movie productions of the thirties often resorted to this flying "eye" (moving dolly), to make scenes appear as if seen from a crane.Collections1932 - Private collection - France
1980 - Private collection - France -
Portrait of Evelyne P.
B.1721932Oil on wood panel28 x 28 cm (11 x 11 in)(Portrait d'Evelyne P. *)A portrait of Ira P.'s daughter.Collections1934 - Collection of Ira Perrot - FranceExhibitions1933 - Salon des Indépendants 1933, Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, FranceHistoryIra PERROT, Family or close friend: Until 1939, Ira Perrot and Lempicka were close friends. Besides sitting for her 1930 portrait ("Portrait of Ira Perrot" [B.143]), most probably Perrot was also the model for "Woman in the Black Dress" (B.31) and "Her Sadness" (B.30). The latter work is listed in Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall's book as "Portrait of Mrs. P." -
Portrait of Suzy Solidor
B.1731933Oil on wood panel46 x 38 cm (18 1/8 x 15 in)DE LEMPICKA (top left)(Portrait de Suzy Solidor)A Gaumont news reel shows Suzy Solidor posing in the nude for this portrait, in Lempicka's studio, in 1932 (see Bibliography: Anonymous filmaker, "Un bel atelier moderne").Collections1932 - Purchased directly by Mrs. Suzy Solidor - France
1973 - Château Musée de Cagnes - FranceExhibitions1933 - Salon des Indépendants 1933, Paris, France
1978 - Grand Palais, "L'art moderne dans les musées de province", Paris, France
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyHistorySuzy SOLIDOR, Client: Discovered by Yvonne de Brémond d'Ars, who brought her from Brittany to Paris, Suzy Solidor (Saint Malo, 1900 - Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1973) rapidly became famous for her beauty, and was much in demand by many painters. She became a singer thanks to a husky and troubling voice that lent itself particularly well to cabaret singing. Her book, entitled Cent peintres, un modèle (One Hundred Painters, One Model), of course included the portrait Tamara de Lempicka had done of her. Solidor donated her collection to the Musée du Château of Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1973. -
The Sleeping Girl (Kizette) I
B.174circa1933Oil on wood panel31 x 41 cm (12 1/4 x 16 1/8 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (on the back of the panel)(La dormeuse (Kizette) I )Lempicka's daughter Kizette sat for this new "Sleeping Girl".Collections1934 - Private collection - Switzerland
1976 - Private collection - U.S.A.
1994 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1935 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1935, FAM, Paris, France
1961 - Galerie Ror-Volmar, "T. de Lempicka, œuvres récentes et anciennes, 1930-1960", Paris, France
1972 - Galerie du Luxembourg, "Tamara de Lempicka de 1925 à 1935", Paris, France
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryHer Daughter KIZETTE, Family or close friend: Lempicka gave birth to her daughter at a very young age. Quite early on, she used Kizette as a model, painting her through a marvelling eye. The five large-scale portraits she did of Kizette, between 1923 and 1933, remain among the most noteworthy of her artistic accomplishments. Baroness de Lempicka-Foxhall, as Kizette has now become, gathered together her recollections and, with the help of Charles Phillips, published them in the form of a biography in 1987: Passion by Design, The Art and Times of Tamara de Lempicka, op.cit.Auctions11/05/1994 - NEW YORK. Christie's “Miyoko-7904”, # 308 $ 350 000 -
Portrait of Miss Poum Rachou
B.1751933Oil on canvas92 x 46 cm (36 1/4 x 18 1/8 in)(Portrait de Mademoiselle Poum Rachou *)In a 1922 portrait of her daughter, Lempicka had Kizette hold a most complacent teddy bear (see B.9). Here, the stuffed toy is endowed with overly bright eyes, as if ready to rebel.Collections1934 - Purchased directly by Mr. Louis Rachou - France
1992 - Private collection - GermanyExhibitions1934 - Salon des Tuileries 1934, Paris, France
1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, ItalyAuctions14/05/1992 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “6294-Marc”, # 274 $ 380 000 -
Wide Brimmed Hat
B.1761933Oil on wood panel46 x 38 cm (18 1/8 x 15 in)T.DE LEMPICKA.33. (bottom left)(Capeline *)A work in the same spirit as the artist's 1930 "Girl with Glove", purchased by the Musée du Luxembourg. In this circa ion, the white dress and dreamy eyes imply a sort of virginity.Collections1933 - Purchased directly by Mr. Gino Puglisi - Italy
1985 - Private collection - France
1989 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1933 - Salon des Tuileries 1933, Paris, France
1936 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1936, FAM, Paris, France
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanAuctions12/06/1989 - PARIS. Binoche & G. Drouot Montaigne, # 118 $ 281 300 -
Portrait of Count Vettor Marcello
B.177circa1933Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA. (bottom left)(Portrait du comte Vettor Marcello *)The young Venetian count is strikingly modernist. By including a port in the background, once again the artist suggests new departures, and hopes for liberating discoveries and breaks. We know that Lempicka herself was an enthusiastic traveller.Collections1932 - Private collectionExhibitions1933 - Salon des Tuileries 1933, Paris, France
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, JapanHistoryThe poetry of PORTS, Biography, Psychology: In a delightful article published in the 16 June 1961 edition of Aux Ecoutes, the critic Michel Georges-Michel gave an account of his before-the-war encounter with Lempicka in a sailor bar in Cannes (see Bibliography Georges-Michel Michel, art. cit.). The shady and nostalgic poetry of ports was greatly appreciated in the realist literature and movies of this era. André Lhote, too, enjoyed depicting it. -
Portrait of Count Vettor Marcello (study)
B.178circa1933Oil on canvas(Portrait du comte Vettor Marcello, étude)Collections1932 - Private collectionHistoryCount Vettor MARCELLO, Client: The count's lineage reaches far back in time, to include - besides several valorous warriors who drove back the Turkish - three doges of Venice and a composer of chamber music. In the early thirties, artists, together with the land's rich and famous, all congregated at his "villa" near Padua. In 1933, Lempicka was also a guest there on several occasions. -
Portrait of a Man
B.179circa1933Oil on wood panel24 x 16 cm (9 1/2 x 6 1/4 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom left)(Portrait d'homme)Collections1982 - Private collection - FranceExhibitions1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
Portrait of a Woman
B.180circa1933Oil on wood panel27 x 19 cm (10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom left)(Portrait de femme)Collections1987 - Collection of Anna Gardner Luce - U.S.A. -
Portrait of a Girl
B.181circa1933Oil on wood panel27 x 19 cm (10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in)T.DE LEMPICKA. (artist's stamp bottom right)(Portrait d'une jeune fille)To the left, under the light, this could be taken as the portrait of a studious girl. But shadow also plays a major role in this painstakingly conceived portrait: it is the source, at least pictorially, of the work's emotional charge.Collections1987 - Private collection - U.S.A.Exhibitions1994 - Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), "Tamara de Lempicka/ Tra eleganza e trasgressione", Rome, Italy
1997 - Hiroshima Museum of Arts. Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo-Hiroshima, Japan -
The Polish Girl
B.1821933Oil on wood panel35 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in)DE LEMPICKA (bottom right)(La Polonaise *)A girl, wearing a brightly-colored Polish shawl over her head, looks up from her prayer book. Along with several others, this devotional image, painted on the little mahogony panels of which the artist was so fond, is reminiscent of the art of icons. The framing recommended by Lempicka (in a letter to her friend Gino Puglisi) - namely, a chrome-plated encirclement, set against a very large board - reinforces this analogy. An aquatint has been made of this painting (A.151).Collections1935 - Purchased directly by Mr. Gino Puglisi - Italy
1994 - Barry Friedman Ltd. - U.S.A.
1995 - Private collection - GermanyExhibitions1933 - Salon des Tuileries 1933, Paris, FranceHistoryThe RELIGIOUS FEELING, Biography, Psychology: Religious feeling, intrinsic to Tamara de Lempicka's nature, began showing through in her oeuvre with works such as "Mother and Child" (B.12), although, admittedly, this work in particular was created under the direct influence of Maurice Denis. The moral crisis undergone by the artist from 1934 to 1936 exacerbated this feeling. And, finally, at the end of her life, Lempicka commended her soul to God through her numerous replicas of Madonna and St. Anthony (which, moreover, stood side to side with other copies of the sulfurous Rafaëla).
Her Daughter KIZETTE, Family or close friend: Lempicka gave birth to her daughter at a very young age. Quite early on, she used Kizette as a model, painting her through a marvelling eye. The five large-scale portraits she did of Kizette, between 1923 and 1933, remain among the most noteworthy of her artistic accomplishments. Baroness de Lempicka-Foxhall, as Kizette has now become, gathered together her recollections and, with the help of Charles Phillips, published them in the form of a biography in 1987: Passion by Design, The Art and Times of Tamara de Lempicka, op.cit.Auctions23/02/1993 - NEW YORK. Sotheby's “6397-Torse”, # 64 $ 0 -
Polish Peasant Girl
B.1831933Oil on wood panel(Paysanne polonaise *)The first (?) version of the preceding painting; however, here the subject is treated in more secular fashion.Collections1933 - Purchased directly by Mr. & Mrs. Léger - CanadaExhibitions1933 - Macy's, New York, New-York, United States
1934 - Salon des Femmes Artistes Modernes 1934, FAM, Paris, FranceHistoryThe RELIGIOUS FEELING, Biography, Psychology: Religious feeling, intrinsic to Tamara de Lempicka's nature, began showing through in her oeuvre with works such as "Mother and Child" (B.12), although, admittedly, this work in particular was created under the direct influence of Maurice Denis. The moral crisis undergone by the artist from 1934 to 1936 exacerbated this feeling. And, finally, at the end of her life, Lempicka commended her soul to God through her numerous replicas of Madonna and St. Anthony (which, moreover, stood side to side with other copies of the sulfurous Rafaëla).
Her Daughter KIZETTE, Family or close friend: Lempicka gave birth to her daughter at a very young age. Quite early on, she used Kizette as a model, painting her through a marvelling eye. The five large-scale portraits she did of Kizette, between 1923 and 1933, remain among the most noteworthy of her artistic accomplishments. Baroness de Lempicka-Foxhall, as Kizette has now become, gathered together her recollections and, with the help of Charles Phillips, published them in the form of a biography in 1987: Passion by Design, The Art and Times of Tamara de Lempicka, op.cit. -
Girl with Scarf
B.184circa1933Oil on wood panel(Jeune fille au foulard)A work that again features a Polish shawl. At this stage of her life, Lempicka seems to have experienced a deep longing for her homeland and native roots.Collections1933 - Unknown collection - -
Girl with Bent Head
B.185circa1933Oil on wood panel(Jeune fille, tête penchée)Collections1933 - Unknown collection -