Tamara de Lempicka (1898 - 1980), A l'opéra

Tamara de Lempicka (1898 - 1980), A l'opéra

Painted in 1941. Signed T. de Lempicka and dated 1941 (lower right) Oil on canvas. 76.2 by 50.8 cm. Est. 300,000—400,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Barry Friedman Ltd., New York, 1979
Acquired by the present owner, Wolfgang Joop, in 1980

EXHIBITED: New York, Julien Levy Gallery, Tamara de Lempicka (Baroness de Kuffner), 1941, no. 18
Los Angeles, Julien Levy Galleries, Tamara de Lempicka, 1941, no. 7
Milwaukee Art Center, Tamara de Lempicka (Baroness Kuffner), 1942, no. 12
Tokyo & Osaka, Seibu Gallery, Tamara de Lempicka, 1981
Rome, Accademia di Francia (Villa Medici), Tamara de Lempicka, Tra eleganza e trasgressione, 1994, no. 53, illustrated in color in the catalogue
London, The Royal Academy & Vienna, Kunstforum Wien, Tamara de Lempicka, Art Deco Icon, 2004-05, no. 55, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Vigo, Fundación Caixa Galicia, Tamara de Lempicka, 2006
Milan, Palazzo Reale, Tamara de Lempicka, 2006-07, no. 51, illustrated in color in the catalogue

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: Gabriele Mandel, La pittrice Tamara de Lempicka, Milan, 1957, illustrated p. 12
Giancarlo Marmori, Tamara de Lempicka, Milan, 1978, p. 7
Germain Bazin & Hiroyuki Itsuki, Tamara de Lempicka, Tokyo, 1980, no. 89, illustrated in color n.p.
Wolfgang Joop, "Tamara de Lempicka, Träume von Mythen und Moden", Pan, Offenburg, May 1987, p. 17
Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall & Charles Phillips, Passion by Design: The Art and Times of Tamara de Lempicka, New York, 1987, illustrated p. 140
Alain Blondel, Tamara de Lempicka, Catalogue raisonné, 1921-1979, Lausanne, 1999, no. B.222, illustrated in color p. 309

NOTE: À l'Opéra was the first painting by Tamara de Lempicka purchased by Wolfgang Joop. Joop and his wife first saw a catalogue of Lempicka's work in the 1970s, and the images of the artist's women reminded him of his wife and daughters. As Joop recalled in a recent interview: "The completely different way of presenting women captivated me: sculptural, three-dimensional. By purchasing works by Tamara, I felt that I could get closer to her and her life."