Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938) was a groundbreaking French painter and the first self-taught woman artist admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1894. she worked as an artist’s model from 1880 to 1893 for Belle Epoque’s most renowned artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Her association with these artists greatly influenced her aesthetic development and provided her with invaluable insights into painting techniques.

Born in 1865 as Marie-Clémentine Valadon in Bessines-sur-Gartempe, France, Valadon was the daughter of an unmarried washerwoman. She left school at a young age to support herself by working in various odd jobs. Her modelling career began when she moved to Montmartre, Paris, at the age of 15. As a model, she gained a reputation for her beauty and strong personality. Through observation and advice from the artists she encountered as part of the bohemian society in Montmartre, Valadon began creating. In particular, Edgar Degas became Suzanne Valadon’s friend and mentor. He recognised her talent, encouraged her to pursue painting and instructed her in drawing and printmaking techniques. In 1896 Valadon began painting full time with the financial support of her husband.

As an artist, Suzanne Valadon was a master of the female form. She has painted still lifes, portraits and nudes throughout her career in the style of the post-Impressionists and Fauvists in her circle. Her works reflect a unique blend of realism and expressionism, infused with vibrant colours and emotional depth. Valadon's perspective as a woman brought a fresh and often provocative view to the depiction of the human body, challenging the traditional male gaze prevalent in art at the time.

Valadon’s exhibited regularly during her life at the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d’Automne. She died in 1938 in Paris at the age of 72. In 2021 the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania held the first major exhibition of Suzanne Valadon’s work in the United States. Valadon was a revolutionary artist who broke barriers and defied the circumstances to attain success in her own right. Christie’s sold Nu à la draperie (1921) by Suzanne Valadon in 2021 for US$475,000, establishing a world auction record for the artist.