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Clockwise: Tamara de Lempicka's Portrait of Ira P., 1930, at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The cover of Tamara de Lempicka by Gioia Mori and Furio Rinaldi (Yale University Press © 2024). Tamara de Lempicka's Saint-Moritz, 1929, at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. drawings spanning the 1920s into the 1940s, including her calling card — the portraits and nudes of the 1930s. INSIGHTS FROM T H E M F A H ' S A L I S O N D E LIMA GREENE, CURATOR FOR THE EXHIBITION W h y L e m p i c k a r e s o n a t e s w i t h today's audiences. Alison de Lima Greene: First of all, Tamara de Lempicka was a master of her craft: Her paintings are not only eye-catching but exquisitely rendered, and she had a remarkable ability to portray both men and women as powerful and sensual, so that her portraits and her nudes have an incredible immediacy — indeed, her subjects seem to come to life before our eyes. And, since she hired some of the greatest portrait photographers of her time to document her atelier, her designer clothes, her fabulous diamond bracelets, and, most importantly, her undeniable beauty, she feels very present even now. (By the way, many of those photographs will be exhibited, too.) The biographical angle is fascinating as well. Lempicka was charismatic. She lived life large — loving both men and women — and she maintained an alluring aura of mystery. And, perhaps most importantly, she faced adversity with a cool determination. We now know that one of her most carefully guarded secrets was that she had Jewish ancestry. Her parents had converted to Christianity several years before she was born, and Lempicka professed her Christian faith both in her life and in her paintings. However, in an era of lethal anti-Semitism, she also knew that had her ancestry been discovered, she would have lost her life once Paris was invaded by Hitler's army. She left in time and saved her husband's life as well by insisting he leave, too. Fortunately, the United States offered t h e m a s y l u m i n 1939 and ultimately citizenship as well. What you hope visitors will take away after seeing the MFAH exhibition. AG: Many only know Lempicka's work through reproductions. Seeing the paintings in person, as well as her exquisite drawings, is a revelation. Another surprise will be how much she learned from Old Master paintings, as well as her contemporaries. We can recognize echoes of works from the Italian Renaissance, Dutch 15th- century paintings, and French Neoclassical paintings, as well as Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger. Finally, Lempicka knew all about contemporary photography, design, and fashion, which we will emphasize through works from our own collections from the Art Deco era. On view will be a sleek cocktail shaker and cigarette cases, Paul Poiret's beautifully draped coat from 1922, René Lalique's glass vases and perfume bottles, photographs by Jacques-Henri Lartigue and Brassaï, and so much more! How this exhibition — Lempicka's first major American museum show — is different from those mounted previously in Europe. AG: We were so fortunate to have Gioia Mori guest-curate the exhibition with Furio Rinaldi [Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco curator]. Gioia had organized several great exhibitions of Lempicka in Europe and published landmark books and catalogs as well, but with each exhibition, she learned more about the artist and unearthed previously lost paintings and drawings. She dedicated more than 30 years of research to Lempicka — and, alas, it turns out that this will be her final statement. Sadly, she died this January, having attended the show in San Francisco. "Tamara de Lempicka" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, through May 26; MFAH film screening The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival, Saturday, April 5, 7 pm; mfah.org. Screening at River Oaks Theatre, Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm, theriveroakstheatre.com. Tamara de Lempicka's granddaughter Victoria de Lempicka and great- granddaughter Marisa de Lempicka, in conversation with MFAH exhibition curator Alison de Lima Greene, Wednesday, April 16, at McClain Gallery during Texas Design Week Houston. Tickets texasdesignweek.com. PRIVATE COLLECTION. © 2024 TAMARA DE LEMPICKA ESTATE, LLC / ADAGP, PARIS / ARS, NY. © 1969 CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LIMITED. MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS D'ORLÉANS. © 2024 TAMARA DE LEMPICKA ESTATE, LLC / ADAGP, PARIS / ARS, NY. COURTESY THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO 74