Self Portrait (with hat and fur piece)

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Self Portrait (with hat and fur piece)

Artist Marie Laurencin (French, 1885 -1956)

Dateabout 1930?

Dimensions12 3/8 x 8 in.

MediumLithograph

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of Alice Roullier

Object number

1951.259

Not on View

Label TextMarie Laurencin’s self-portrait evokes her signature painting style of ethereal, wistful depictions of pale-skinned women. Here, she presents herself wearing the latest fashions–a beret, which became a sartorial sensation in the early 1930s, and a fur collar around her neck. She seems to be looking longingly at something beyond the edges of the image. Laurencin was a key figure in the bohemian and avant-garde circles of Paris, in close consort with figures such as Georges Braque, Robert Delaunay, and Pablo Picasso (see a painting by Braque in Gallery 6 and paintings by Delaunay and Picasso in Gallery 3). Though she had an early engagement with Cubism, Laurencin later rejected the dominant styles of the day to create her own visual language. She incorporated influences such as the 18th-century French Rococo style characterized by soft, pastel colors and idealized scenes of love and leisure. This, along with her primary subject matter of women, led some critics to argue that Laurencin’s work affirms the objectifying male gaze. However, Laurencin was open about her sexuality and gender identity (having romantic relationships with men and women) and employed this perspective to emphasize women’s experiences and desires in her work.Exhibition HistoryTMA About Face Sept.30 - Dec.31 2005