Polish-born painter (1898-1980)
Tamara de Lempicka(1898 — 1980)
Tamara de Lempicka
Empire russe, Pologne
7 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
Works & Achievements
An iconic painting showing the artist in an elegant and modern pose, embodying the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. This work has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Art Deco and twentieth-century modernity.
A portrait depicting a high-society woman with the distinctive hallmarks of Lempicka's style: clean geometry, vibrant colors, and sophisticated elegance. The work exemplifies her talent as a portraitist of the Parisian elite.
An allegorical composition celebrating feminine beauty and sensuality, characterized by the smooth forms and warm tones typical of Lempicka's style. This work demonstrates her mastery of the human figure in an approach that is both classical and modernist.
A portrait of a young woman wearing a green dress, exemplifying the refinement and elegance of Lempicka's portraiture. The work showcases her distinctive technique of geometric modeling and subtle interplay of light.
A painting depicting a woman playing a musical instrument, illustrating Lempicka's interest in scenes of intimacy and culture. The work combines formal elegance with the dynamic energy characteristic of Art Deco.
A still life exploring the geometric forms and vivid colors intrinsic to Art Deco modernism. These compositions demonstrate the artist's versatility beyond portraiture.
Anecdotes
Tamara de Lempicka was born in Warsaw in 1898 into a wealthy aristocratic family. During the Russian Revolution, she fled Russia with her husband and settled in Paris in the 1920s, where she quickly became famous for her glamorous portraits of celebrities and wealthy clients during the Roaring Twenties.
The painter developed a highly distinctive style by combining Cubist geometric forms with a smooth, polished finish, giving her portraits a look that was both modern and timeless. Her revolutionary approach made her one of the most sought-after women artists of the Art Deco era.
Among Tamara de Lempicka's notable works is the portrait of the Duchess of La Rochefoucauld, and she exhibited regularly at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants in Paris. Her works stand out for their elegance, technical precision, and flattering depictions of Parisian high society.
Despite achieving great success in France and across Europe, Tamara chose to leave Europe and move to the United States in 1939, fleeing the mounting tensions of World War II. She continued her career there while staying true to her signature Art Deco style until her death in 1980.
Tamara de Lempicka's works, largely forgotten after her death, experienced a spectacular rediscovery from the 1970s onward. Today she is recognized as one of the great figures of Art Deco, and her paintings fetch very high prices in museums and galleries around the world.
Primary Sources
I always believed that art should be beautiful and joyful, not sad. I painted happy people, people who enjoyed life.
Tamara de Lempicka exhibits her portraits with geometric forms and vivid colors, embodying the modern spirit of the Roaring Twenties.
My art rejects nostalgia and the melancholy of the past. I paint modernity, speed, contemporary life with its vibrant colors.
I am the artist of my time. Art Deco is not a trend — it is a philosophy of life that celebrates beauty, luxury, and the harmony of form.
Key Places
Tamara de Lempicka's birthplace in 1898. The Polish capital shaped her origins and early upbringing before she emigrated to Western Europe.
The center of her artistic career during the Roaring Twenties (1920–1930). Paris is where she became a portraitist of high society and developed her distinctive Art Deco style.
An important city in her artistic development, where she studied and refined her craft before settling permanently in Paris.
A significant stop in her career, where she held exhibitions and continued painting the British social elite in her Art Deco style.
The city where she settled in exile after 1941 and entered her final creative phase. She continued her work as a portraitist and became a notable figure in American modern art.
Her late-career home and artistic base, where she continued to paint and exhibit her work until her death in 1980.
Typical Objects
The palette used by Tamara de Lempicka to mix her bold, contrasting colors, characteristic of the Art Deco style. Her daring geometric tones define her modernist aesthetic.
The sleek sports car, emblematic of the Roaring Twenties, was a recurring subject in Tamara de Lempicka's paintings. The automobile embodied the speed, modernity, and luxury that fascinated the artist and her wealthy clientele.
A grooming accessory with clean geometric forms, representative of the Art Deco style. Tamara de Lempicka frequently painted them in her portraits of elegant women, where they symbolize modernity and self-reflection.
The traditional support on which Tamara de Lempicka painted her oil portraits and compositions. The smooth priming of the canvas allowed for the geometric precision characteristic of her style.
Precision tools that enabled the clean lines and sharp contours defining the refined aesthetic of her compositions. Tamara used these brushes to create the geometric forms typical of Art Deco.
Luxury accessories depicted in Tamara de Lempicka's paintings, symbols of social status and elegance in the 1920s–1930s. They reflect the affluent world of her Parisian clientele.
A tool associated with the modernity of the Roaring Twenties, its influence is visible in the precise, cinematic composition of Tamara de Lempicka's portraits, which play with perspective and shadow.
A recurring element in Tamara de Lempicka's compositions, evoking Parisian nightlife, masquerade balls, and the theatrical atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties that she painted with such fascination.
School Curriculum
Daily Life
Morning
Tamara wakes in her luxurious Parisian apartment or studio, starting the day with a light French breakfast of coffee and croissants. She devotes the early hours to studying her models and sketching, making the most of the natural light to plan her pictorial compositions.
Afternoon
Afternoons are dedicated to intensive oil painting and the lacquering techniques she has mastered. She receives her aristocratic and bourgeois clients for sitting sessions, turning her studio into a fashionable social hub where commissions for prestigious portraits are arranged.
Evening
Her evenings are filled with an intense social life: receptions in Parisian salons, theatre premieres, automobile galas, and appearances at high-society events. She frequents elegant clubs and regularly exhibits her work in the prestigious galleries of the Roaring Twenties.
Food
Tamara follows the gastronomic lifestyle typical of the Parisian upper bourgeoisie of the 1920s and 1930s, with refined meals at prestigious restaurants and at home. Her diet favors delicate dishes, exotic fruits, and fine wines — hallmarks of the opulence of the Jazz Age.
Clothing
Dressed in the latest Art Deco fashion, Tamara wears streamlined, geometric gowns, often paired with bold, modern jewelry. She cultivates a sophisticated and avant-garde appearance that reflects her status as a successful artist and her commitment to contemporary aesthetics.
Housing
She lives in upscale apartments in Paris, and later in Saint-Tropez, decorated with the refined luxury characteristic of the Art Deco style. Her Parisian studios are veritable private galleries, equipped to receive high society and outfitted with everything needed for her prolific artistic output.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Visual Style
Un style géométrique et épuré, aux lignes strictes et aux formes streamline caractéristiques de l'Art déco. L'univers visuel allie le luxe des Années folles à une esthétique moderniste, avec des surfaces brillantes, des contrastes lumineux marqués et une palette sophistiquée dominée par les teintes froides et les métalliques.
Sound Ambience
Une ambiance sonore évoquant les Années folles, mêlant la légèreté du jazz d'époque aux bruits intimes d'un atelier artistique, capturant l'élégance sophistiquée et la créativité bohème qui caractérisaient le monde de Tamara de Lempicka.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Portrait de Madame M.
1932
Jeune Fille en vert
1927
Fruits et Fleurs
1931
