"Tamara de Lempicka" at the Baker Museum of Art

"The Girls" (1930)

I vividly remember the first time I saw a Tamara de Lempicka painting. It wasn't even an original. The Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda hosted an annual Fine Arts Festival in which the work of an artist or a period was celebrated. Art Deco was the theme one year, and a member artist recreated a work by de Lempicka. The painting was so striking that I can visualize where it was situated in the exhibit. That's an artist with a distinctive style (and kudos to our local artist for creating such a strong replica). Given this brush with de Lempicka's work, it's no surprise I enjoyed seeing an entire exhibit featuring her art. 

The introduction to the exhibit explains de Lempicka's art this way. "With paintings exuding stylized modernity and sapphic sensuality, de Lempicka helped define the Art Deco aesthetic...Her powerful portraits of male and female lovers and patrons challenged gender norms and encapsulated the glamour, transgression and cosmopolitan effervescence [of Paris] ... between the wars." Whoa. Her style is also sometimes referred to as "soft Cubism," a term I haven't previously heard. Think the fragmentation of Picasso but in a much, well, softer way. 

"The Girls" is a terrific example of a de Lempicka painting. The women's eyes make me think of a cat basking in the sun. An elaborate scarf flows from the neck of the woman on the left in a way that covers the chest of her companion, who appears to be otherwise undressed. This detail, along with the way the women are situated, indicates to me a sense of possession by the woman who wears the scarf. I have no idea if that's accurate, but I do know there's a story waiting to be told.

"Young Girl in Pink (Kizette in Pink II)" (1928-29)

Then there's this painting by de Lempicka of a coquettish young girl who calls Lolita to mind. Am I the only one disturbed to learn this is a portrait of the artist's daughter? Time for some background.

De Lempicka was just 18 years old when she gave birth to her daughter Kizette. (Tamara was married, but Kizette's birth came less than the requisite nine months after the vows. Just establishing the context.) Being so young, de Lempicka was not ready to be a mother. And so her daughter attended boarding school and was otherwise raised primarily by family members. In this way, de Lempicka limited the the obligations of motherhood. 

When they were actually together, Tamara's feelings about their relationship was quite clear. She often introduced Kizette as her younger sister rather than her daughter. Wow. How much therapy did that kid require? Still, Kizette was one of de Lempicka's most frequent sitters for her paintings. As in this work, the girl is often shown wearing only one shoe. This choice was apparently intended to create a sense of youth and vulnerability. Perhaps Kizette needed a bit more mothering.

"Her Sadness" depicts Ira Perrot (1923)

Now for some of de Lempicka's backstory. She grew up in Russia where she met Teduesz Lempicki, her first husband. (She adopted the more feminine "Lempicka" as her last name and added the "de" for good measure, perhaps in hopes of being associated with nobility.)  After fleeing to Paris following the October Revolution, de Lempicka came into her own. She enjoyed the social circle in which she found herself and the laissez-faire attitudes of Paris at that time. Her husband, not so much. He didn't approve of her affairs (with men and women) or her use of cocaine. He didn't join her on her nights out at the clubs. And he didn't appreciate listening to Richard Wagner at full volume while she painted. Her reputation as an artist was on the rise but her marriage was in trouble. What to do? 

De Lempicka was nothing if not enterprising. And so she found a new husband who was open to her lifestyle. He also just happened to be a baron. (She had known adding that "de" would come in handy one day.) The poet Ira Perrot became the artist's most significant lover. The pair frequented the salons of the day with the likes of Gertrude Stein and Anais Nin. Perrot also became de Lempicka's muse, and the artist created numerous paintings and drawings of her lover. "Her Sadness" is one example. 

The pair parted when the Baron and Baroness moved to California shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Shockingly (not), Tamara became part of the Hollywood scene. She set her art aside, focusing instead on being the hostess with the mostest. Her work fell out of favor as figurative work -- even portraiture as striking as de Lempicka's -- gave way to the Abstract Expressionist movement. The world was a chaotic place, and the work of artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning captured that chaos. 

De Lempicka at work 

Fast forward to the 1970s when de Lempicka was rediscovered. It probably won't surprise you to learn that Madonna is one of de Lempicka's biggest collectors. This NY Times article about the artist begins, "Before Madonna strapped on her funnel-breasted bustier and called it feminism, there was the painter Tamara de Lempicka." I love it, and I bet de Lempicka would have too. Click here to see Madonna's video for "Vogue" with de Lempicka paintings in the background. And for a great short video about the artist, click here. 

And just to circle back, the painting I saw at the Visual Arts Center years ago de Lempicka's "Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugati)." To see that work, along with another portrait of Kizette and a photo of de Lempicka with Salvador Dali (no shock there), click here. 

Thanks to the Baker Museum for giving me the opportunity to dig into the work of this fascinating artist. My life seems so tame by comparison (and that's just the way I like it.) "Tamara de Lempicka" continues only through February 8th, so time is short to see this show. Don't miss it if you're in the area. For more information, click here.