Luisa Casati
She could be seen strutting through Venice in the dark of night, with nothing but a fur coat on, as she walked her two pet cheetahs. Once described “as beautiful as a black panther, and also as dangerous”, this mysterious woman was one of the wealthiest and most outlandish characters in all of the 20th century.
In this episode we share the incredible life story of the Marchesa Luisa Casati, an Italian heiress who used her fortune to create a life of her wildest imagination. She was also one of the most important patrons of her time. She was painted by Giovanni Boldini, photographed by Man Ray, and sculpted by Jacob Epstein. It’s believed that Luisa commissioned over two hundred separate portraits of herself, with the aim to “commission her immortality”.
Listen to ArtMuse’s two part episode on Luisa Casati:
This episode is produced by Kula Production Company.
REFERENCES
Ryersson, Scot D., and Michael Orlando Yaccarino. Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati. University of Minnesota Press, 2017.
MACKRELL, JUDITH. UNFINISHED PALAZZO: Life, Love and Art in Venice. THAMES & HUDSON, 2018.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Millington, Ruth. Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures behind Art History’s Masterpieces. Pegasus Books, 2022.
IMAGES
The Marchesa walking her pet cheetahs, painted by Joseph Paget-Fredericks in the nineteen-forties.
A young Luisa Casati in 1886.
Luisa early in her marriage
D'Annunzio in a photo before 1938.
Giovanni Boldini, Marchesa Luisa Casati, oil on canvas, 1908.
The palazzo dei leoni in its ruinous state.
Luisa dressed as Queen Theodora.
Luisa dressed in costume for one of her galas.
Luisa and her pet cheetah.
Adolf DeMeyer, Marchesa Luisa Casati, 1912.
Kees van Dongen, The Bowl of Flowers, 1917.
Kees Van Dongen, La Casati, 1918.
Giacomo Balla, Marchesa Casati Con Gli Occhi di Mica e il Cuore di Legno, 1915.
Photograph of Cristia Casati frm 1937. Bassano Ltd.
Jacob Epstein, Marchesa Casati, 1918.
Augustus John, Marchesa Casati, oil on canvas, 1919.
Romaine Brooks, Marchesa Casati, oil on canvas, 1920.
Man Ray, Marquise Casati, 1922.
Man Ray, Marquise Casati, 1922.
The Palais Rose, Luisa's residency in France.
Luisa Casati wearing a costume by Leon Bakst in Paris of 1922.
Luisa with her snake in the 1920’s.
Man Ray, La Marquise Casati, 1935.
Augustus John, Marchesa Casati, 1942.
Luisa photographed in 1942.
A photo of Luisa by Cecil Beaton, 1954.
Luisa Casati's grave in Brompton Cemetary.
