Portrait of Françoise Sagan - Tamara de Lempicka
Archival giclée
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Description
A portrait of the French novelist Françoise Sagan by the Polish Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, rendered in a soft, introspective style.
This portrait depicts the French novelist Françoise Sagan, captured through the distinct lens of Tamara de Lempicka. Known for her work within the Art Deco movement, Lempicka typically utilised a highly stylised, sculptural approach to portraiture. This specific work deviates from her earlier, more rigid geometric compositions, offering a softer, more intimate focus on the subject. The artist employs a muted, earthy palette that draws attention to the facial features and the subject's direct gaze.
Lempicka, born in Warsaw, became a defining figure of the Parisian art scene during the 1920s and 1930s. Her technique often involved smooth, enamel-like surfaces and a clear influence from Renaissance masters, combined with the modern sensibilities of her era. In this portrait, the brushwork remains controlled, yet the rendering of the hair and the subtle shading around the eyes suggest a departure from the sharp, metallic sheen found in her earlier commissions. The composition is tight, focusing entirely on the head and shoulders, which allows for a study of the subject's expression.
Françoise Sagan, who rose to fame with her debut novel, Bonjour Tristesse, is presented here with a sense of quiet introspection. The painting reflects the later period of Lempicka's career, during which she experimented with different textures and a more subdued emotional tone. The background is kept simple, ensuring that the viewer's attention remains fixed on the subject. This print captures the nuances of the original oil painting, preserving the tonal shifts and the specific application of paint that characterises Lempicka's later output. It is a piece that documents the intersection of two significant figures in twentieth-century culture, rendered with the technical precision expected of the artist.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Portrait of Françoise Sagan - Tamara de Lempicka
Artist Biography
Tamara De Lempicka
In December 1917, the Cheka arrested her husband Tadeusz Lempicki in the night, suspected of connections to the Tsar's secret police. She searched the prisons for him and reportedly secured his release by offering favours to the Swedish consul. They fled through Copenhagen and London to Paris. She initially signed her paintings Lempitzky, the masculine form of the name, to be taken more seriously. Critics praised the work, thinking a man had made it.
She moved in the lesbian and bisexual salons of 1920s Paris, a circle that included Vita Sackville-West and Colette. Her female portraits carry both the painter's gaze and the lover's. Perspective (The Two Girlfriends), shown at the 1923 Salon d'Automne, was among the earliest. Her style blended a late, polished Cubism with neoclassical form, influenced by Ingres but drenched in the glamour and geometry of Art Deco.
In 1929, she painted herself for the cover of the German fashion magazine Die Dame: Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti). The car in the painting was a Bugatti. Her actual car was a yellow Renault.
She divorced Tadeusz in 1928 and married Baron Raoul Kuffner, an Austro-Hungarian art collector. They moved to America in 1939 to escape the war. She became a favourite of the Hollywood set. After the war, her work drifted into obscurity. The Art Deco revival brought her back: a 1972 retrospective at the Galerie du Luxembourg restored her reputation. A stage play called Tamara ran in Los Angeles for eleven years, from 1984 to 1995, the longest-running play in the city's history. Madonna became a major collector. She died in 1980.
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