Profile of the Day: Tamara de Lempicka

Tamara de Lempicka

Do you have Polish ancestry? Today we remember Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, who was born on this day 120 years ago. Known as “The Baroness with a Brush,” Lempicka gained fame for her bold Art Deco portraits of aristocrats and celebrities.

Lempicka was born Maria Górska on May 16, 1898 in Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a Russian Jewish lawyer and her mother was a Polish socialite. As a young child, Lempicka developed a strong passion for art after spending a summer in Italy with her grandmother. At the age of 10, she painted her first portrait. Her mother had commissioned a portrait of her by a prominent local artist. However, Lempicka was dissatisfied with the finished product and believed she could do better, so she went to work creating a portrait of her sister.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Lempicka became known for her hyper-stylized paintings and was a favorite of celebrities in Hollywood. She also caught the attention of royalty, painting portraits for King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Queen Elizabeth of Greece.

Lempicka died on March 18, 1980 in Mexico at the age of 81. At her request, her ashes were scattered over a volcano in Mexico.

In honor of her 120th birthday, Lempicka was featured as today’s Google Doodle. Explore her family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the Polish painter.
 

View Tamara de Lempicka’s Family Tree on Geni

Image: Wikimedia Commons