Woman wearing a dress, gloves, and large hat

Tamara de Lempicka, Jeune fille en vert (Jeune fille aux gants) (Young Woman in Green, Young Woman with Gloves) (detail), 1930–1931. Oil on board, 24 1/4 x 17 7/8 in. (61.5 x 45.5 cm). Centre Pompidou - Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, purchase, 1932, inv. JP557P © 2023 Tamara de Lempicka Estate, LLC / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, NY. Digital image © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY

Tamara de Lempicka

With works that exuded cool elegance and transgressive sensuality, Tamara de Lempicka (1894–1980) helped define Art Deco. Her paintings captured the glamour and vitality of postwar Paris and the cosmopolitan sheen of Hollywood celebrity. This exhibition — the first major museum retrospective of Lempicka in the United States — explores the artist’s distinctive style and unconventional life through four major chapters. The more than 100 artworks on display range from her post-Cubist work in 1920s Paris to her most famous nudes and portraits to the melancholic still lifes and interiors of her final days in the United States and Mexico. Including an in-depth look at the artist’s drawings and studies, this exhibition reveals the creative process behind her iconic paintings.

Exhibition preview

In the news

  • Swaggering, Sapphic, and sensational.

    Walker Mimms, The New York Times
  • A stunning selection of more than 150 works on paper and paintings that makes a strong argument for her as an artist who helped create the modernity of her time.

    Tony Bravo, SF Chronicle
  • This exhibition is the San Franciscan art event of the year.

    Brian Bromberger, Bay Area Reporter

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This exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Lead Sponsor
Denise Littlefield Sobel

Significant Support
Bettina S. Bryant
Roger Thomas, Arthur Libera, and Drew Thomas

Generous Support
Romana D. Bracco 
Stanlee Gatti
Parida Saennam and Austin Ligon
Laura Scher and Ian Altman
Mary Beth and David Shimmon
Sotheby’s
Gwynned Vitello
Zenni.com

Additional Support for this exhibition is provided by Luanne and Pete Andreotti, Sandra Bessières, Edina Jennison, Wendy W. Kwok and family, Jan and Bob Newman, and Anita L. Wornick.

Also on view