Merritt Norris
First Major US Retrospective Of Artful Art Deco Icon Wows Visitors
With over 90 works on display, the “Tamara de Lempicka” exhibition at the MFAH presents a fresh perspective on the iconic artist, exploring not only her bold, modernist portraits and distinctive style, but the fascinating life, complex identity, and cultural legacy that shaped her work.
This retrospective exhibition, the first major museum survey devoted to the artist in the United States, has been extended at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston until July 6. The works range from her very first post-Cubist compositions to her highly acclaimed nudes and portraits of the 1930s and the melancholic still lifes and interiors brought to fruition in the 1940s.
Tamara de Lempicka seamlessly blended classicism and high modernism early on in her career, paving the way for some of the most iconic pieces of the Art Deco era. Her brilliant portraits quickly captured the attention of audiences in the early 20th century, although her acclaim faded in the shadow of World War II. Decades later, her work has been rightfully rediscovered and reclaimed to be celebrated once again for its striking beauty and daring elegance.
After marrying a Polish aristocrat and briefly settling in St. Petersburg, Tamara de Lempicka fled to Paris following the Russian Revolution. Determined to pursue a career in art, she first exhibited her work under the name “Monsieur Łempitzky.” In the years that followed, she masterfully depicted her muses, lovers, and the glittering mood of the era, later signing her evocative portraits under the name that would become the iconic “Tamara de Lempicka.”
/ Centre de création industrielle, Paris, gift of the artist, 1976, inv. AM1976-113. © 2024 Tamara de Lempicka Estate, LLC / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, NY. Digital Image © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY
Following her second marriage to Baron Raoul Kuffner-de Diószegh, Tamara de Lempicka became “Baroness Kuffner” and left for the U.S. in 1939, ahead of the German invasion of Paris. She then found herself in New York, Paris, Houston, where her daughter had settled, and ultimately spent her final years in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Though her fame faded and her practice lacked in the postwar decades, a 1972 Paris exhibition reignited interest in her work. Celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Madonna, among others, collected her pieces, cementing her place in pop culture. Most recently, her story was adapted for Broadway in April 2024, in the Tony Award-nominated musical Lempicka.
Tamara de Lempicka possessed an exceptional eye for detail and a keen understanding of fashion as a powerful extension of her artistry and presentation. Styling herself after critically acclaimed Hollywood stars, she staged striking photo sessions in her studio to help curate her publicly perceived persona. Houston’s installation is complete, featuring photographs of the artist herself, drawings by Lempicka’s teacher and mentor, André Lhote, alongside Lempicka’s paintings that are impossible to fully capture in reproduction. The exhibition is further enriched by access to the artist’s personal archives and the generous collaboration of her family, whose contributions have played a premium role in bringing this project to life.
Don’t miss your chance to experience the cool elegance of Tamara de Lempicka’s legacy and plan your visit to the MFAH today.
Wonderful! I had no idea and ‘glad to know of the current exhibit. I love the combination of fashion, staged inspiration and art. It is great to see this review. Thank you.