The Queen of Montparnasse, Kiki, presents an admirer with her famous signed portrait.
- Drawing created and signed by Alice Ernestine Prin, known as Kiki de Montparnasse, for an unknown admirer.
- In French.
- The drawing (7.2 cm x 9 cm) is glued onto a sheet of paper (11.5 cm x 16 cm).
- Probably in France, in Paris, no information about the date.
- Slightly yellowed paper, excellent condition.
- Unique piece.
Text in front (author unknown)
The famous model
Alice Ernestine Prince
Say Kiki
by herself
which can be translated as:
the famous model
Alice Ernestin Prince
known as Kiki
by herself
Text on the back (author unknown)
[part of a drawing]
44 rue des Martyrs
Kiki de Montparnasse, or Kiki, the pseudonym of Alice Ernestine Prin (1901-1953), was a model, muse and sometimes even lover of famous artists (Amado Modigliani, Tsugouharu Fujita, Moise Kipling, Man Ray, among others). She was also a singer, dancer, cabaret manager, painter and film actress. She enlivened the Montparnasse district of Paris between the two world wars (1921-1939), during the period of artistic effervescence known as Les Années Folles (The Crazy Years).
At the end of the First World War, the French were beginning to regain their taste for peaceful living after years of war and hardship. A radically new wind seemed to be blowing through the country. In Paris, the Montparnasse district symbolized this renewal; it was the era of Josephine Baker, Coco Chanel, Kiki de Montparnasse...
First a muse for great painters, Kiki de Montparnasse also began to draw portraits for British and American soldiers, captivated by this wave of creative and liberating euphoria, taking advantage of this friendly and resolutely modern atmosphere. Later, she regularly exhibited her paintings in Parisian galleries.
Few of Kiki de Montparnasse's drawings have survived to this day, especially in such excellent condition as this one. For those who love Paris and its immense cultural life, the 1920s are particularly important, especially for its brilliant artists, whom Kiki met and inspired with her "French sensuality": her short hair, black-lined eyes and bright red painted lips made her world famous.
