Tamara de Lempicka Biography
Tamara de Lempicka (nee Gorska) was born on the 16th of May 1898 in Warsaw Poland. She was born in to a very wealthy and prominent family. Boris Gurwik-Gorski, her father was a polish lawyer and her mother Malvina Decler was a Polish socialite. Lempicka attended boarding school in Switzerland and spent the winters in the French Riviera and Italy with her grandmother. It was in Italy that she experienced her first taste of the Italian Great Masters of Painting. When her parents divorced in 1912 Lempicka went to live with her wealthy aunt, Stefa, in St Petersburg, Russia. At the age of fifteen, Lempicka, whilst at an opera, saw a man she became determined to marry, Tadeusz £empicki. Undeterred by his reputation as a womanizer and gadabout, and the fact that he might be after her large dowry, Lempicka married her man in 1916.
When the Russian revolution started in 1917 Tadeusz was arrested late one night by the Bolsheviks and was thrown in prison. Tamara was beside herself with worry and concern – searching the prisons for many weeks to find him. Eventually she found him and with the help of the Swedish Consul she secured his release. They then fled Russia fleeing to Denmark, Copenhagen, London and finally Paris.
In Paris Tadeusz reverting to form refused to look for work and so they lived off the proceeds of the sale of Tamara’s jewelry. Also in Paris, Tamara gave birth to a daughter, Kizette de Lempicka.
In the era of the roaring twenties Tamara de Lempicka immersed herself in the bohemian lifestyle. She associated with Andre Gide, Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso. She was known to have a high libido and had many affairs with both men and women which were considered scandalous at the time. During the 1920s she became involved with bisexual and lesbian women in artistic and writing circles, such as Colette, Violet Trefusis and Vita Sackville-West. At this time she also had an affair with Suzy Solidor, a nightclub singer, who Lempicka later painted. Lempicka’s husband Tadeusz, tired of his wife’s behavior, walked out on her in 1927 and the following year they were divorced.
In the next few years Lempicka became obsessed with her work and social life to the detriment of all those around her, especially her daughter, who was sent to boarding school and spent all her free time with her grandmother, Malvina. When Lempicka announced that she would not be spending Christmas with them in 1929, Malvina burned Lempicka’s hat collection with the young Kizette looking on.
Throughout these years Lempicka‘s patron was Baron Raoul Kuffner. He had sponsored her to paint many paintings. In 1928 he commissioned her to paint his mistress which Lempicka duly did and subsequently took the mistresses place in the Barons life. In 1929 Lempicka travelled to America to paint a portrait for Rufus Bush and to arrange a show at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh. The show was a success but Lempicka lost all of the money she earned when due to the Wall Street Crash, the bank she used collapsed.
The years of the Great Depression had little effect on Lempicka. She continued working and her artworks became more in demand with museums collecting her work. In 1933 she married her lover, the Baron and he took her away from her quasi bohemian life and once again restored her place in high society.
The 1900 Exposition Universelle held
in Paris saw Art Nouveau become an internationally renowned style. It was the
height of Designer Chic until World War I demanded the recess of this elaborate
and expensive flair for elegance. After
the Paris Exposition a group of artists formed a society known as La Société des artistes décorateurs. The Society of Decorative Artists were highly influential with
regards to the development of what would become the next Designer Chic: And
that was Art Deco.
Hector Guimard, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Bellot, Maurice Dufrêne, Eugène Samuel
Grasset and
Emile Decoeur were the founding members of the society: Among the best
designers in France. Their goal was to make the decorative arts of France renowned
internationally – A leader. The society organised the 1925 Paris Exposition
Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.
The International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts was
a world fair; which showcased the Arts
Décoratifs of France. The term Art Deco is a shortened version of Arts
Décoratifs and derived from the title of the Paris exhibition. However, the
term Art Deco did not really become adopted by the populace until the book Art Deco of the 20s and 30’s was published in 1968 – Written by the English art historian Bevis
Hillier.
Art Deco
was the style of the twenties and thirties: Heavily present in the
visual arts and architecture in Europe during the roaring twenties and
the United States throughout the thirties. The soft pastel colors and classical
organic forms associated with Art Nouveau were replaced by a more modern and
functional model: Although it retained the elegance and some of the glamour of
Art Nouveau. Art Deco incorporated Cubism, Constructivism and Futurism.
However, what really defines Art Deco from all these artistic movements is this
was purely decorative and had no political or philosophical associations.
With
regards to Architecture, there are many classic examples of Art Deco in major
cities around the world; from Shanghai to New York. Art Deco ripped through the
modern world until well late into the thirties: Its decline ultimately coming around
the early 1940’s - Until the sixties when its popularity soared once more with
the publication Art Deco of the 20s and 30’s in 1968. Bevis Hillier was
the first to discuss the Art Deco style in relation to the development of
modern and contemporary art. In 1971 Hillier was the man behind the Art Deco summer
exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art: After which the popularity of
Art Deco reached a new height.
The Art
Deco style is more geometric and mathematical in form than Art Nouveau: Perfectly
planed surfaces replace figurative and organic forms reflecting the influences
of industrialization and modernism. Even so, Art Deco also reflected another
aspect of modernism – In the twenties and thirties, with the discovery of the
Tomb of Tutankhamun and Pompeii, archaeology was a popular interest. The
so-called primitive arts of Egypt, Africa and Assyria having a profound impact
upon up and coming twentieth century artists; such as Picasso.
Art Deco
incorporated the modern world which incorporated a myriad of style ideas from a
variety of resources. The elegant yet practical style of Art Deco appeared in
the US underground during the thirties: Seen as a reflection of the elegance and
practicality of the trains: As well as in Theatres, Ocean Liners and even the
Golden Gate Bridge. One of Art Deco’s most significant elements is its specific
arrangement of ornamental motifs – The famous Sunburst design being a notable
example. Over time, the style of Art Deco also took on other artistic concepts
– Most notably, Cubism, Constructivism and Futurism.
The Art Deco style has not declined since its reinstatement during the
sixties. Indeed Art Nouveau and Art Deco art works have found their niche
within modern art history. The elegant yet practical forms of Art Deco are well
suited to contemporary living. While bold Art Deco is elegant and never
evasive. It is decorative and always functional in design. Art Deco is the work
of realists and artists: A place where creativity and technology combine: Also
referred to as art moderne the work
of artists such as Tamara
De Lempicka, Erte and Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann personify its meaning.
Wall Art: – Buy with Confidence.
When we consider that art is about emotion and expression it is no surprise that we can achieve spectacular results with the careful placement of wall art. With wall art you can change the ambiance, mood and style of a room by creating a true reflection of your own personal style.
It is important to remember when choosing wall art that your own style is more important than fashion trends. Pick wall art that suits your personality that suits the purpose for which it was chosen. For example do you want sophistication? Are you trying to create the rustic look? Or do you prefer more traditional? Is it a conversation piece you are after, or a mood calmer? Whatever you desire you can be sure that Arts My Passion will have something to suit.
Our canvas art and oil paintings are painted to the highest standards by artists with at least fifteen years experience. We guarantee you won’t get better quality elsewhere. Whatever your room size, whatever your budget, whatever your style, Arts My Passion has it all.
Our wall art ranges from the modern day contemporary canvas art to the reproduction of traditional oil paintings by the great masters. We can produce custom sizes and custom artworks; our limits are infinite.
|
