Leokadia Lempicka Paintings

Leokadia Lempicka, known as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who was born in Warsaw, Poland on May 16, 1898. She is best known for her polished Art Deco portraits, and her stylized, sensual paintings of nudes. Born into a wealthy and prominent family, she was the daughter of Boris Gurwik-Górski, a Russian Jewish lawyer, and his wife, Malvina Decler, a Polish socialite. Lempicka's privileged upbringing provided her with the cultural education and opportunities to begin her artistic training at an early age.

In the wake of the Russian Revolution, Lempicka fled to Paris with her husband, Tadeusz Lempicki, where she studied art and established herself as a professional artist. Her elegant and sophisticated style, combined with her social skills, helped her to become a well-known figure in the Parisian art scene during the 1920s and 1930s. Her work from this period is characterized by a combination of neoclassical influences and a modern, streamlined aesthetic. She often painted portraits of aristocrats, artists, and the wealthy elite, capturing the glamorous spirit of the time.

During World War II, Lempicka moved to the United States, where she continued to work and exhibit her art, though her popularity began to wane as artistic tastes changed post-war. In the later stages of her career, she experimented with different styles, including abstract art, but these later works did not achieve the same level of acclaim as her Art Deco portraits.

Tamara de Lempicka passed away in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on March 18, 1980. Despite a period of relative obscurity after her death, Lempicka's work was rediscovered and celebrated in the late 20th century, with her paintings now held in numerous private collections and museums around the world. She remains an important figure in both the Art Deco movement and as a pioneering female artist who paved the way for future generations.