Suzanne: of Love and Art

by Elaine Todd Koren

In Bohemian Paris of the 1800's comes the novelized biography of Suzanne Valadon, a tempestuous, beautiful French artist who was the model and mistress of the artists, Renoir and Lautrec. Lautrec discovered her artistic talent and sent her to Degas who became her mentor. She gave birth to an illegitimate son, Maurice Utrillo whom she literally forced to paint to quell his alcoholism, making him an important artist. Suzanne scandalized Paris by her amorous liaison with her son's friend, twenty-one years her junior. Her determination to overcome the obstacles met by women painters foreshadowed the problems of women today.

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Dawn Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel gave the reader insight into the human frailty of the icons of the art movement that shifted our perceptions.

I was walking along the streets of Paris with all my favorite artists. Seeing them through this ‘lens’ will give me a whole new pair of glasses when I view their brilliant paintings.

[nikkia neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book! the author does a great job making you feel like you know susanne valone and marie clementine. i loved this book because i love books about artists. no biography is perfect and to those people that have put up bad reviews on this book then try to write a book yourself and see how hard it is to make a character come alive.