Portrait of Marjorie Ferry
ArtistTamara de Lempicka
Year1932
MediumOil on canvas
MovementArt Deco
Dimensions75 cm × 49 cm (30 in × 19 in)
LocationPrivate collection

Portrait of Marjorie Ferry (French: Portrait de Marjorie Ferry) is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1932 by the Polish Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka.

Description

The painting depitcts a young blonde-headed woman walking along a marble balcony. She is dressed in a white, satin sheet and is wearing a shiny ring on her finger. She has perfectly smooth skin and well-manicured fingernails. She is surrounded by modernist shapes of architectural elements. The image of the woman, who is giving a seductive look at the viewer and gently smiling, casts an aura of mystery.[1]

History

The painting depicts British cabaret singer Marjorie Ferry, who performed in Paris in the 1930s. It was commissioned by Ferry's husband in 1932 and painted in the artist’s studio on rue Méchain.[2] The artwork was intended as a gift to his newly-wed wife. A bright, large cabochon ring, which he gave her, was also depicted in the painting.[3]

The painting has been described as the "Art Deco Mona Lisa" owing to the fact that Marjorie has nearly identical corners of the mouth and eyes as well as the shape of eyes and eyebrows with Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa thus evoking the same enigmatic smile. Lempicka was known for combining modern elements with old ones in a classical style. Her paintings were created by strictly applying Renaissance and Cubist patterns.[1]

Art market

In February 2020, Portrait of Marjorie Ferry set a record for a work by Lempicka by fetching £16.3 million ($21.2 million) at the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale at Christie's, London[4] surpassing the previous record held by her 1927 painting La Tunique rose, which sold for $13.4 million in 2019.[5][6] The painting became the single most expensive artwork by a Polish artist, male or female, to date.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Joanna Łenyk-Barszcz, Przemysław Barszcz (1 May 2022). ""Portret Marjorie Ferry". Najdroższy polski obraz". wielkahistoria.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Susan Moore (23 January 2020). "The siren call of Tamara de Lempicka's portrait of a cabaret singer". apollo-magazine. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Portrait of Marjorie Ferry". arthive.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Tamara de Lempicka (1898–1980)". Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tamara de Lempicka | LA TUNIQUE ROSE (1927) | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com.
  6. ↑ Westerby, Nick (November 14, 2019). "Łempicka painting goes for eye-watering $13millioin at Sotheby's Auction". The First News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Wróblewski, Opałka i Abakanowicz. 10 najdroższych prac polskich artystów". onet.pl (in Polish). 1 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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