Alice Prin, Kiki de Montparnasse
Listen to ArtMuse’s Two Part Episode on the model, performer, painter, and memoirist, Alice Prin, better known as Kiki de Montparnasse.
Kiki not only blossomed in, but helped define the bohemian subculture burgeoning in Paris in the 1920’s. More specifically, Kiki moved amongst the circles of the Montparnasse district, the neighborhood in which some of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, like Picasso and Modigliani, worked and lived. She was so beloved amongst her community, that she was eventually crowned the Queen of Montparnasse, and became a local celebrity. And Kiki was not only a social icon, over her lifetime she became one of the most prolific art models in the history of western art, modeling for prominent artists such as Francis Picabia, Alexander Calder, and Man Ray, with whom she shared an eight year heated relationship with.
Listen to ArtMuse’s two part episode on ALice Prin, Kiki de Montparnasse:
This episode is produced by Kula Production Company.
REFERENCES
Braude, Mark. Kiki Man Ray: Art, Love, and Rivalry in 1920s Paris. W. W. Norton and Company, 2023.
Klüver, Billy, et al. Kikis Paris. DUMONT, 1989.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Ballet Mécanique (1924, 2K Digitally Restored, With Score by George Antheil)
IMAGES
Man Ray, Alice Prin, 1924.
Cafe La Rotonde in Montparnasse, early 1920’s
Maurice Mendjisky, Self Portrait, 1920.
Maurice Mendjizky, Kiki, 1921.
Maurice Mendjizky, Kiki, 1921.
Gustaw Gwaozdecki, Kiki de Montparnasse, 1920.
Photograph of Chaim Soutine
Amedeo Modigliani’s portrait of Kiki, although not confirmed with certainty.
Photo of Kiki taken by Man Ray in 1922.
Nude photograph of Kiki taken by Man Ray in 1922.
Kiki with Tsuguharu Foujita, in Paris, 1926.
Tsuguharu Foujita, Reclining Nude, oil on canvas, 1922.
Artist Djuna Barnes, who advocated for model’s rights.
Man Ray, Le Violon d’Ingres, gelatin silver print, 1924.
Poster for “La Galerie des Monstres”, Kiki’s first film debut. 1924.
Still from Fernand Leger’s Ballet Mécanique, short film, 1924.
The Jockey in Paris, where Kiki performed.
Kiki and Man Ray outside the Jockey, alongside Ezra Pound and Jean Cocteau, among other Montparnasse locals.
Photo of Kiki by Man Ray in 1926, showing off her performance skills.
Man Ray, Kiki with African Mask, gelatin silver print, 1926.
Kiki de Montparnasse, Les Lavandieres, oil on canvas, 1927.
Kiki de Montparnasse, L’Acrobat, oil on canvas, 1927.
Kiki de Montparnasse, Gitans, oil on board, 1928.
A flyer for Kiki’s solo show at Au Sacre du Printemps in 1927.
Photograph of Kiki at her opening.
A still from Man Ray’s The Starfish, 1928.
Kiki on the night she was crowned Queen of Montparnasse, 1929.
Original cover of Kiki’s Souvenirs, published in 1929.
Kiki and Andre Laroque in 1933. Photograph by Man Ray.
