Described by one of her earliest collectors as the “first pop star of the century,” Tamara de Lempicka created colorful paintings that radiate with Art Deco's signature blend of elegance and modernity.
Born in Poland at the turn of the 20th century, Lempicka was forced to flee to France in 1918 after the beginning of the Russian Revolution. During a visit to Italy in her youth, she became enraptured by the Italian Old Masters. Inspired by this formative experience, Lempicka enrolled in Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris to take up painting.
Lempicka studied under famed avant-garde artists Maurice Denis and André Lhote, who introduced her to Cubism, and she began exhibiting at the Parisian salons as early as 1922. Lempicka became a fixture in Parisian high society, spending much of her time hosting wealthy elites in her atelier on Rue Méchain.
Exceptional floral still-lifes by Lempicka epitomize the artist's talent for capturing sensual beauty, no matter her chosen subject or style. During the early 1960s, works such as Le bouquet de lilas (Bouquet of Lilacs) show how she masterfully used color and texture to create a remarkable sense of depth in her still-life paintings. Ever the adventurer, Lempicka began exploring new painting techniques even at this mature stage of her career. She used her palette knife as one of her main implements, creating new textures and ways of directly applying color in her works.
With a resurgence of appreciation for the Art Deco period, combined with the success of her retrospective at Galerie de Luxembourg in 1971, Lempicka’s work has achieved remarkable acclaim in recent decades. Much of her work resides in museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée des Beaux-Arts du Havre, and the National Museum Warsaw, among others.
Alain Blondel, the esteemed French author who compiled the artist’s catalogue raisonné, wrote fondly of Lempicka’s uniqueness: “Tamara de Lempicka will always continue to defy categorization. Her art and her life destiny do not fit into the usual framework for 20th-century artists. The idea that art could be a profession was foreign to Lempicka. Her life and her painting were too closely intertwined for that.”
Find original Tamara de Lempicka art for sale on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by M.S. Rau)
Thinking by Tamara de Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Thinking Signed “Lempicka”(bottom right) Pencil on paper This enchanting pencil on paper by Tamara de Lempicka radiates Art Deco's signature b...
Paper, Pencil
Smiling Nude by Tamara de Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara de Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Smiling Nude Signed “Lempicka”(bottom right) Pencil on paper “Everything that I did was never done like the others were doing... I wanted to d...
Paper, Pencil
Nu allongé avec bracelet by Tamara de Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Nu allongé avec bracelet (Nude lying down with bracelet) Signed “Lempicka”(bottom right) Pencil on paper This exquisite pencil on paper by Tam...
Paper, Pencil
$950
H 11 in W 15 in
Drawing of Sam I, Original Chalk and Crayon Drawing on Paper, Signed, 1995
By Amanda Watt
Located in Aventura, FL
Original pencil, chalk and crayon drawing on paper. Hand signed and dated on front by the artist. Framed. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. A...
Paper, Chalk, Crayon, Pencil
$1,600
H 30 in W 14 in
Mark Beard 054 (Figurative Charcoal Drawing of Two Male Nudes on Arches Paper)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing of two male nudes made with graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon on Arches paper 30 x 14 inches, unframed This unique life study drawing of two standing nude m...
Charcoal, Graphite, Paper
$1,600
H 30 in W 13 in
MB 808 (Figurative Charcoal Drawing on Paper of Two Male Nudes Models)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing made with graphite, conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 13 inches, unframed This unique life study drawing of two standing male nudes was made by Mar...
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
$1,600
H 21.5 in W 28 in
MB 809 (Figurative Charcoal Drawing on Paper of Two Seated Male Nude Models)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing made with graphite, conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 21.5 x 28 inches, unframed This unique life study drawing of two seated male nude models was made ...
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
$1,600
H 30 in W 19 in
MB 806 (Figurative Charcoal Drawing on Paper of Two Muscular Male Nudes)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative nude drawing made with graphite, conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 19 inches unframed This unique life study drawing of two male nude models was made by Mark...
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
$1,600
H 30 in W 18.5 in
MB 807 (Figurative Charcoal Drawing on Arches Paper of Two Male Nude Models)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing of two male nudes made with graphite, conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 18.5 inches, unframed This unique life study drawing of two standing male n...
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
$1,600
H 30 in W 22 in
MB 076 A&B (Double Sided Figurative Charcoal Drawing of Male Nudes)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing of male nudes made with graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon on Arches paper 30 x 22 inches, unframed One piece of 30 x 22 inch Arches. Two drawings, one on either...
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
Wheeler Williams Classical Figure Study for Twilight
By Wheeler Williams
Located in New York, NY
Wheeler Williams (American, 1897-1972) Study for Twilight, 1947 Pencil on paper 9 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. Signed lower right: Wheeler Williams, 1947 Inscribed: Study for Twilight A native of Chicago, Wheeler Williams is known for his allegorical, narrative work including "Tablets to Pioneers" on the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago, and "Settlers of the Seaboard" in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1919 and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with sculptor Albin Polasek...
Paper, Pencil
$5,200
H 24.5 in W 33.5 in D 1.25 in
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” American Modernist Female Drawing Lady African Mask
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Yardley, PA
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) This wonderful original ink drawing highlights Nevelson’s interest in the early 20th century avant-garde. Inspired by Picass...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
$1,600
H 30 in W 19 in
MB 804 A&B (Double Sided Figurative Drawing, Two Male Nudes and Safari Hunter)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative drawing with graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon on Arches paper 30 x 19 inches, unframed One piece of 30 x 19 inch Arches paper. Two drawings on opposite sides. These u...
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite, Watercolor
$900
H 9.25 in W 12.25 in
Thee Graces Preparatory Drawing by Wheeler Williams, Signed
By Wheeler Williams
Located in New York, NY
Wheeler Williams (American, 1897-1972) Untitled (Study of Three Graces), 1947 Pencil on paper 9 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. Signed lower right: Wheeler Williams, 1947 A native of Chicago, Wheeler Williams is known for his allegorical, narrative work including "Tablets to Pioneers" on the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago, and "Settlers of the Seaboard" in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1919 and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with sculptor Albin Polasek...
Paper, Pencil
Nude - Original Pencil Drawing - 1940
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original modern drawing in pencil on creamy paper realized in 1940 ca. by an Anonymous artist of the 19th Century. Good conditions except for being aged and foldings. Th...
Paper, Pencil
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H 9.75 in W 10.5 in D 1.25 in
Woman Inside a Frame by Tamara De Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Woman Inside a Frame Signed “T. Lempicka” (bottom right) Pencil on paper This pencil on paper study by Tamara de Le...
Paper, Pencil
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H 12.25 in W 11 in D 1.25 in
Portrait d'homme à lunettes by Tamara De Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Portrait d'homme à lunettes (Portrait of a Man Wearing Glasses) Signed “Lempicka” (bottom right) Pencil on paper Th...
Paper, Pencil
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H 17 in W 13 in D 1 in
Study of Head and Hands by Tamara De Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Study of Head and Hands (Etude de tête et de mains) Signed “T. de Lempicka 1950” (bottom right) Pencil on paper Thi...
Paper, Pencil
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H 19.25 in W 18.5 in D 1.5 in
Stylish Woman with Flower Hat by Tamara De Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Stylish Woman with Flower Hat Elégante au chapeau fleuri Signed “Lempicka / Paris 1937” (bottom right) Watercolor on...
Paper, Watercolor
Flora I by Tamara De Lempicka
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in New Orleans, LA
Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Flora I Signed “Lempicka 1933” (bottom right) Watercolor on paper “Each of my paintings is a self-portrait.” — Tama...
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled - Nude
By Tamara de Lempicka
Located in Phoenix, AZ
drawing on paper unframed size: 5.5 x 9 inches
Paper, Graphite