You’ve probably seen Suzanne Valadon as a model in paintings by Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec, but you’re probably not familiar with her as an artist. As has often been the case, she failed to achieve the same place in art history as her male counterparts, and the artists you painted her. But Valadon was an accomplished artist in her own right. Now finally the Centre Pompidou is hosting a retrospective of her work. So, here’s a cheat sheet on everything you need to know!
Name
Suzanne Valadon was actually born Marie-Clementine Valadon in Besseines-sur-Gartempe, France in 1865. The name Suzanne was given to her by Toulouse-Lautrec, after the story of Susanna and the Elders from the bible because he got the feeling that she preferred being a model for older artists.
Beaux Arts
She was a trailblazing artist, being the first ever woman to be admitted to the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts in France. She was also highly regarded by her contemporaries like Degas, who was the first to buy her drawings. No biggie!
Model
Valadon was the model for many painters, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It is thought that she learnt much of her artistic skills during her time as a model and muse.
Circus
She had a difficult upbringing and had many jobs from a very young age, one of which was performing as an acrobat in the circus, which was frequently attended by Morisot and Toulouse-Lautrec. Unfortunately, her circus career was cut short after just one year after injuring her back.
Love Life
Valadon had a colourful love life. She was Toulouse-Lautrec’s lover for two years, but their love affair ended after she tried to commit suicide in 1888. She also dated composer Erik Satie for six months in 1893. And, despite marrying stockbroker Paul Mousis in 1895, she went on to have an affair with yet another painter, Andre Utter, in 1909. She ultimately divorced Mousis so she could marry Utter.
Son
She gave birth to a son – Maurice Utrillo – who would also go on to be a painter in 1883, at just 18. The true paternity of her son has never been disclosed, however Valadon’s friend, the art critic Miquel Utrillo, signed papers to recognise him as his son.
Women
Most of the subjects in Valadon’s works were women. She is known for her female nudes and portraits of women. That said, when she did paint a male nude, the art world was shocked, and she is credited as being the first woman painter to ever do so.
Female Gaze
She is noted for being one of the first artists to make men the object of desire, making many paintings related to sexual pleasures.
Upbringing
Valadon had a working-class upbringing, and she preferred to paint working class models within her work. She is known from shying away from what was seen as a “proper” way of depicting women, instead preferring to paint the reality. She also shied away from over sexualising women or idealising them.
Text by Lizzy Vartanian
