Discover Tamara de Lempicka, ‘The most known unknown artist’

Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980) may not be a name you know, but you are likely familiar with her work.

She left an indelible mark on art and pop culture with her distinctive Art Deco style that blended different artistic influences such as Neoclassical, Renaissance, and Cubist into something uniquely her own. Known for her dynamic portraits of society’s women at the time, she was a woman who was a master at re-inventing herself and managing her image long before modern marketing and social media.

Her great-grandaughter Marisa de Lempicka — who now lives in Snowmass Village and whose mission is to develop, promote, and protect her great-grandmother’s legacy — will hold two events at M.S. Rau Gallery in Aspen on Thursday, July 25, and Thursday, Aug. 1, to share personal insights to her great grandmother’s work and life.

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The Aspen Times Arts and Entertainment Editor Sarah Girgis chatted with Marisa de Lempicka ahead to discuss Tamara de Lempicka’s life and long-lasting impact on art and culture.

The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Sarah Girgis: Your great-grandmother’s work is iconic, but many don’t know much about her.

Marisa de Lampicka: We did a documentary with ARTE TV for Germany and France and went to Tamara’s apartment in Paris, and we walked the streets that she used to walk down on. And the director said, “Tamara is the most known unknown artist.” A lot of people recognize her art, her style because it’s been used in movies and products and is so different from everything else. But many people, especially in the United States, don’t know much about her. Many don’t know her name, her history, or her amazing life. So my mission is to change that.

SG: What was unique about her life?

ML: She was Polish and a refugee twice. Once because of the Bolshevik Revolution and then the Second World War.

She escaped the Bolshevik Revolution in 1918 in St Petersburg. They were from quite a wealthy family. She was married to a respected lawyer who was part of the Czar’s court. So they lost everything — most of their jewels, their friends, and the life that they had. They end up in Paris with nothing. So she decides to become a painter to survive. She had to re-invent herself several times.

She was also unique in that she was her own self promoter, her own manager. She negotiated the pricing for her own art. She created this persona. She used fashion, beauty, and wit. She was extremely smart. She was a polyglot. She would read three newspapers a day in different languages to learn what was going on in the world and have different perspectives. So she used the tools she had.

SG: She is well-known for her colorful and distinctive portraits of beautiful women; how did that happen?

ML: In Paris, she becomes a portrait painter to make a living. It was a means to survive. And many of these beautiful portraits of women were commissioned.

But one thing that she did — that I love and why I think many young people who are discovering her admire her — is that she’s really the first artist to paint women in a powerful, independent way.

In Tamara’s paintings, women are beautiful, successful, and in charge of their lives. They are owning their femininity, sexuality, beauty, and power.

SG: What were the biggest influences?

ML: In Paris, she studied art with André Lhote, who’s the father of soft Cubism and neo-Cubism, and with Maurice Denis, who was an abbey painter. She took what she learned from them and blended it with Renaissance painting. So that’s why you see those fabulous bodies and that kind of luminescence that comes from inside the paintings. That’s very Renaissance, this larger than life figures. And so it’s a blend of the art she loved. For her, art had to be beautiful.

SG: There are no bad images left behind of her, and she was always depicted as fashionable — was that intentional?

ML: She really did personal branding. She was the first pop icon. I think today she would be an Instagram star. She knew how to use the media and had relationships with the best photographers of the time.

And she would have them take photographs of her in the most fashionable dresses that were given to her by the famous designers of the day, like Schiaparelli, Madame Grès, and Rochas. They would give her the dresses to wear for events (where she was photographed), and then she would give those photographs to the press. This was how she wanted the world to see the successful, beautiful, smart woman. This was part of her, of her brand.

SG: What would you most like people to know about your great-grandmother?

ML: She was incredibly resilient, and I think we need to cultivate that in our young people. Follow your dreams. Be iconic. Try to do something different than everybody, especially as an artist. Create your own style, something unique that speaks to you, and be fearless, too.

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July 25, 6-7 p.m. —  Iconic Art Deco Artist Tamara de Lempicka: The Great-Granddaughter Speaks During Aspen Art Walk. M.S Rau, 228 S. Mill St.

Experience an intimate conversation with Aspen’s Marisa de Lempicka, the great-granddaughter of Art Deco legend Tamara de Lempicka during Aspen Art Week. Learn about the infamous artist and discover the stories behind the iconic portraits that defined Art Deco and embodied the Jazz Age’s vibrancy. The event will feature a curated selection of Tamara de Lempicka’s rarely viewed works. Link to event details HERE.

Aug. 1 – 6-7 p.m. – An Intimate Talk on Tamara de Lempicka: Art Deco Cocktails & Conversation during Aspen Art Week. M.S Rau, 228 S. Mill St., Aspen.

Marissa de Lempicka, the great-granddaughter of Art Deco legend Tamara de Lempicka, returns during Aspen Art Week. Enjoy complimentary art deco cocktails, and gain a unique family perspective on Tamara’s life and artistic journey. Guests will enjoy Tamara’s stunning visuals, little-known insights that bring the artist’s personality and creative process to life, and the captivating stories the artist shared with her family. The event will feature a curated selection of Tamara de Lempicka’s rarely-seen works. Link to event details HERE.

Gain a unique family perspective on Tamara’s life and artistic journey. Discover the stories behind the iconic portraits that defined Art Deco and embodied the Jazz Age’s vibrancy.

The event will feature a curated selection of Tamara de Lempicka’s works on display and available for purchase.

Space is limited to 40 seats. First come, first serve with standing room available.

Sarah Girgis is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Aspen Times. She can be reached at 970-429-9151 or sgirgis@aspentimes.com.