Tamara de Lempicka

by Gioia Mori (Editor), Furio Rinaldi (editor)

An aura of mystery has surrounded Tamara de Lempicka since she was born, not in Warsaw in 1902, as she claimed, but according to official records in 1898 in Moscow. The beautiful and scandalous Tamara was the extravagant muse of Art Deco, an icon of the roaring twenties, and a successful painter of intensely sensual portraits that were powerfully sculptural with Cubist lines, embellished with sophisticated decorative elements. Cool colors, cramped spaces and stark contrasts between light and shade surround the unforgettable faces of rich, elegant, emancipated, and theatrical women fixed in their existential melancholy. The catalogue includes a careful selection of unforgettable paintings and valuable historic photographs offering us a fascinating thematic reconstruction of the personal and professional aspects of Tamara's life, including the places she lived, her involvement in the sophisticated fashion world of the period, and her studies of the nude, as well as her still-lifes and portraits.Tamara's from Russia to Mexico; Still life - a recurring theme in Lempicka's work, with echoes and references that range from 17th-century Flemish painting, to the rediscovery of trompe-l'oeil in the 1930s to1950s, and contemporary photography; Devotion - a constant theme in Lempicka's oeuvre is religious. It is identified and analyzed in terms of the art of the period. Portraits - Paintings and drawings are analyzed, and the initial classical sources pointed up, as well as how they relate to modern photography and cinematography. A section is dedicated to the portraits of children; The nude - The study of the nude from mannerist sources to the photography of Albin-Guillot e Brassaï; Fashion - Lempicka's close ties to the fashion world examined through her paintings, her experience as a photographic model, and her sophisticated wardrobe.Published to accompany an exhibition at Palazzo Chiablese, Turin (19 March - 30 August 2015).

Genres: Art, Reference, Biography

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Bloodorange · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the essay part; it lacks a thesis, which I am, perhaps wrongly, used to having in such texts. This may be due to its length, which is a little awkward - longer than a typical Taschen essay, yet too short for a full size book.

Still, the album part makes up for that - the reproductions are legion and large (some of them black and white, though, but not many), and every reproduction comes with detailed information and critical analysis, which I very much appreciate.

[Poet for fun · Rating 5 out of 5]

💚 Es un libro muy bello, cuya presentación fue cuidada hasta el último detalle, desde la calidad de las imágenes hasta la redacción de los textos; el tamaño también es idóneo y permite que ambos aspectos se desplieguen de forma exquisita: pinturas y fotografías de página completa y ensayos suscintos y absolutamente interesantes. Un trabajo a la altura de la obra pictórica, que debe ser el mejor y más completo publicado hasta la fecha. Lo amé de inicio a fin. Libro de 100.

[Sophie]

Read this more for the pictures than the essays. The presentation is lavish and beautiful, and the selection includes many drawings and photographic portraits, as well as the paintings.

[Lihsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and beautifully laid out, it has a fine collection of plates, illustrations and figures.

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un viaggio illustrato e appassionante nella vita e nell’arte di Tamara de Lempicka, una delle figure più iconiche dell’Art Deco, pittrice cosmopolita che ha incarnato eleganza, modernità e audacia negli anni Venti e Trenta.

Questo volume, curato dalla storica dell’arte Gioia Mori, offre una ricca ricostruzione storico-artistica della sua carriera: dalla Parigi degli anni ruggenti alle esposizioni internazionali, includendo circa 120 opere splendidamente riprodotte con dettagliate schede critiche, oltre a cronologie di mostre, biografia e riferimenti storici che contestualizzano il suo stile e la sua influenza.

È un libro ideale per chi ama arte, moda e biografie di artiste anticonformiste — bello da sfogliare, informativo e visivamente affascinante.

[Vanlilith]

architettura&arte

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art plates, a good definitive biography of an enigmatic artist