Marie Laurencin

MARIE LAURENCIN
Paris 1883 – Paris 1956

Célimène
1937
Oil on canvas
61.3 x 50.5 cm

Gift of Eric Klinkhoff in honour of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Klinkhoff

© Marie Laurencin / Fondation Foujita / ADAGP, Paris / CARCC Ottawa 2026
Photo MMFA

Marie Laurencin’s signature style, marked by curvilinear patterns, simplified contours and a soft colour palette, only fully emerged around 1920. While early critics often interpreted her subjects and style as naturally stemming from a feminine sensibility, more recently art historians have highlighted that these were, in fact, conscious choices reflecting Laurencin’s evolving response to contemporary artistic trends.

Célimène (1937) is representative of Laurencin’s mature artistic style. It exemplifies the artist’s ability to navigate and merge two distinct worlds within a single painting: the highly visible modernity of its facture and the subtly coded queer female world of Paris. The painting features the witty and charming Célimène from Molière’s The Misanthrope in a colourful, flowing dress adorned with pearls and a headdress, standing against a flat, shallow background with a guitar resting at her left side. The interior is dark and confining, yet the woman’s vibrant attire and the presence of a musical instrument suggest a sense of freedom, perhaps hinting that for Laurencin, art offers an escape.

Célimène was offered to the Museum by Eric Klinkhoff whose father, Montreal art dealer Walter Klinkhoff (1919-1997), greatly appreciated Laurencin’s work. In February 1981, he organized an exhibition in his gallery featuring the works of Marie Laurencin and Suzanne Valadon, which included this painting.