Tamara de Lempicka

by Alison de Lima Greene, Laura L. Camerlengo, Gioia Mori (Editor), Furio Rinaldi (Editor), Barbra Streisand (Preface), Francoise Gilot (Contributor)

This gorgeous volume, the official catalogue of the exhibition Tamara de Lempicka at the de Young Museum, presents the full arc of Lempicka’s career in the context of her life and her evolving identity, including her Polish and Russian origins, her marriages and other relationships, and her time in France, Italy, and the United States. This book unfolds chronologically through three sections that mark the stages of the artist’s life and the evolution of her artistic style, with particular focus on her Jewish heritage, her expression of gender, and her sexuality. Published by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Hardcover only. 256 pages, 200 color + b-w illustrations.

Tamara de Lempicka (1894–1980), the “Baroness with a Brush,” is often cast as one of Art Deco’s most celebrated artists, though her work transcends categorization, incorporating elements of Cubism and Neoclassicism in a distinctive, sensuous blend of form and function. Lempicka’s paintings, including a self-portrait as the driver of a sleek green Bugatti, often depict dazzling, self-assured women, exuding elegance and transgressive sexuality while combining the modern with the classical.