Kiki Man Ray
Art, Love and Rivalry in 1920s Paris
by Mark Braude
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Pub Date 18 Aug 2022 | Archive Date 18 Aug 2022
John Murray Press | Two Roads
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Description
***One of The New Yorker's Best Books of 2022***
***One of The New York Time's 100 Notable Books of 2022***
'Exuberantly entertaining' NYT Book Review
'Mark Braude's writing and subject make this book irresistible, as was Kiki herself.' Jim Jarmusch
'A delightful, marvelously readable, meticulously-researched romp of a book, Kiki Man Ray brings to life not just the kaleidoscopically talented Kiki herself, but the endlessly fascinating Montparnasse milieu over which she reigned.' Whitney Scharer, author of THE AGE OF LIGHT
Though many have never heard her name, Alice Prin - Kiki de Montparnasse - was the icon of 1920s Paris. She captivated as a ground-breaking nightclub performer, wrote a bestselling memoir, sold out exhibitions of her paintings, and shared drinks and ideas with the likes of Pablo Picasso, Peggy Guggenheim, and Marcel Duchamp. She also shepherded along the career of a then-unknown American photographer: Man Ray.
Following Kiki in the years between 1921 and 1929, when she lived and worked with Man Ray, Kiki Man Ray charts their complicated entanglement and reveals how Man Ray - always the unabashed careerist - went on to become one of the most famous photographers of the twentieth century, enjoying wealth and prestige, while Kiki's legacy was lost.
But this isn't a story of an overbearing male genius and his defeated muse. During the 1920s it was Kiki, not Man Ray, who was the brighter of the two rising stars and a powerful figure among the close-knit community of models, painters, writers and café wastrels who made their homes in gritty Montparnasse. Following the couple as they created art, struggled for power and competed for fame, Kiki Man Ray illuminates for the first time Kiki's seminal influence on the culture of 1920s Paris, and challenges ideas about artists and muses, and the lines separating the two.
'Kiki de Montparnasse was more than a muse - she was a vivacious, independent woman whose talent and magnetism helped make Paris the center of the art world in the 1920s. In Mark Braude's riveting cultural history, the Queen of Montparnasse rises again. This is a lively and compassionate tribute to the chanteuse, model, and portraitist who held center stage in her life, and who inspired some of the finest Surrealist art of the twentieth century.' Heather Clark, author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781529300482 |
| PRICE | £20.00 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Librarian 431790
When I think about Kiki de Montparnasse and Man Ray I visualize Le violon d’Ingres and that was all I knew about their relationship and about Kiki.
This well researched book make me learned a lot about these two artists and the great characters that were part of their world.
It's a highly recommended read if you want to learn about an exceptional woman and her life.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Yasmin H, Reviewer
This novel entailed an incredibly deep and detailed insight into two influential artists of the 1920’s Paris. Braude entails every moment in their lives that would eventually transform their career and their future relationships. This book mainly focuses on Kiki’s massively growing success after laying out the foundations of Alice’s (Kiki) childhood and her struggle out of poverty, an abusive relationship and depression. Kiki’s story is a fascinating one, to come from such depths of poverty to becoming one of the most sought out model and singer in Paris- the Queen of Montparnasse who transformed art. She was the “woman to capture the spirit of their age like no one else, and by doing nothing more that making a performance of herself”. Switching from Kiki, throughout, we also learn about Emmanuel (Man Ray) and his journey as an artist who travelled the Atlantic Ocean to find inspiration and his messy but crucial relationship with Kiki as well as himself. Man Ray played a significant role in surrealism and transformed photography, he was “so in love with destruction, because destruction brought hope”.
As a reader who has been wanting to delve into non fiction, I found this easy to follow and to understand, the story was so rich with detail and Braude’s storytelling kept it intriguing and insightful. The 1920’s Parisian art movement is an extremely fascinating topic, mixing it with a woman as unique as Kiki and a turbulent relationship really transformed everything. I really enjoyed reading about the social change, the effects of the first world war and the impact they made onto the French art movements of cubism and surrealism. Kiki is an icon and Braude portrays that perfectly. It was incredible to read about the what, why, who and the where of every situation alongside the analysis of the reactions and emotions of their peers. I grew to really admire a woman that I had previously little knowledge of. I recommend this to anyone who are interested in back story of art & fashion icons and who are eager to learn about the artists who transform surrealism in a whole new medium.
Many thanks to #netgalley and #johnmurraypress for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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