Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980) is known for her 1930-vintage paintings of people done in a slightly simplified, smoothed manner while featuring crisply defined costumes and geometrical backgrounds. Retrospectively, her style can be considered High Art Deco in the context of a field that does not easily lend itself to Art Deco, which is fundamentally architectural-decorative.
Her lengthy Wikipedia entry can be linked here.
Lempicka did paint portraits of men, but mostly painted women. Many of these women are anonymous or else identified by their first name. Other works are commissioned portraits of (mostly) identifiable women. Many of those can be seen below. They are in chronological order.
Gallery
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Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) - 1929
This was commissioned as cover art for a German magazine. It has been pointed out that Lempicka did not own a Bugatti and that all Bugattis were right-hand drive, unlike the one in the painting. Nevertheless, this is probably her most famous works. I viewed it many years ago at an Art Deco exhibit in San Francisco.
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Mrs Bush - 1929
This portrait of Mrs Rufus Bush was auctioned at Christie's for $4.6 million.
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Lady in Lace - Portrait of Mrs Allan Bott - 1930
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Mme Boucard - c. 1931
This, and the two preceding paintings have skyscraper backgrounds that contribute to the Art Deco effect. So do others shown below.
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Mme M - 1932
Auctioned at Christie's for $6.1 million, the subject is essentially anonymous.
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Marjorie Ferry - 1932
Auctioned at Christies for 16.4 million British pounds.
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Suzy Solidor - 1933
She was a French actress and singer who I wrote about here.
Her lengthy Wikipedia entry can be linked here.
Lempicka did paint portraits of men, but mostly painted women. Many of these women are anonymous or else identified by their first name. Other works are commissioned portraits of (mostly) identifiable women. Many of those can be seen below. They are in chronological order.
This was commissioned as cover art for a German magazine. It has been pointed out that Lempicka did not own a Bugatti and that all Bugattis were right-hand drive, unlike the one in the painting. Nevertheless, this is probably her most famous works. I viewed it many years ago at an Art Deco exhibit in San Francisco.
This portrait of Mrs Rufus Bush was auctioned at Christie's for $4.6 million.
This, and the two preceding paintings have skyscraper backgrounds that contribute to the Art Deco effect. So do others shown below.
Auctioned at Christie's for $6.1 million, the subject is essentially anonymous.
Auctioned at Christies for 16.4 million British pounds.
She was a French actress and singer who I wrote about here.