Kiki de Montparnasse avec ses amies Thérèse et Lily (devenue Mme. Dubuffet, la femme du peintre). Kiki est au fond, Lily au milieu

Brassaï French, born Romania (Transylvania)

ca. 1932, printed late 1970s

Not on view

Brassaï initially resisted using photography as a mode of artistic expression, but set aside painting when he "realized that photography was truly an art of our time and the best way of capturing all the fleeting impressions which excited me." Prowling Paris by night, he documented the glamorous city’s underbelly—its pimps, prostitutes, and thieves—and frequented cafés favored by upcoming writers, painters, and their muses, including the three models pictured here. In the foreground is Kiki de Montparnasse, who posed for many of the most famous artists of the period.

Artwork Details

Title: Kiki de Montparnasse avec ses amies Thérèse et Lily (devenue Mme. Dubuffet, la femme du peintre). Kiki est au fond, Lily au milieu
Artist: Brassaï (French (born Romania), Brașov 1899–1984 Côte d'Azur)
Date: ca. 1932, printed late 1970s
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: 21.0 x 29.4 cm. (8 1/4 x 11 9/16 in.)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Warner Communications Inc. Purchase Fund, 1980
Object Number: 1980.1023.10
Rights and Reproduction: © Estate Brassaï Succession – Paris
Curatorial Department: Photographs

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Brassaï

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Brassaï

1950, printed 1960s

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