Tamara de Lempicka
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
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
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Walker Mimms, The New York Times
Swaggering, Sapphic, and sensational.
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Tony Bravo, SF Chronicle
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.
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Brian Bromberger, Bay Area Reporter
This exhibition is the San Franciscan art event of the year.
Stories
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Tamara de Lempicka + Art Deco in 1940s San Francisco
Imagining the Art Deco artist’s encounter with the city’s Art Deco architecture.
By Therese Poletti, preservation director of the Art Deco Society of California
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Drag Art History: The Tea on Art Deco Darling Tamara de Lempicka (ft. Lady Camden)
What do Madonna, Batman, and Burlesque have in common?
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Tamara de Lempicka: The Making of an Art Deco Icon
Delve into the life and art of iconic Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka.
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5 Things to Know about Art Deco Painter Tamara de Lempicka
Meet the Art Deco icon and Hollywood favorite.
By Magnolia Molcan, interim associate director of digital content
Featured collection artworks
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Study for 'Young Girl Drawing', 1937
Tamara de Lempicka -
Evening dress, 1922–1928
Madeleine Vionnet, Ernesto Thayaht -
Evening dress, 1930
Jean Patou
Sponsors
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.
Currently on view
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Closing soon
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Opening soon