Beginning in the early 20th century, French artist Marie Laurencin (1883–1956) created a unique pictorial world that placed women at the center of modern art. With a highly original painting style that defied categorization, Laurencin moved seamlessly between the male-dominated Cubist avant-garde, lesbian literary and artistic circles, and the realms of fashion, ballet, and decorative arts.

Participants are guided by Barnes Foundation docent Joe Caliva, as he discusses “Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris,” an exhibition recently on view at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Caliva explores Laurencin’s career, including her self-portraits, collaborative decorative projects, early Cubist paintings, and signature work—feminine and discreetly queer—that helped define 1920s Paris. Laurencin's visualization of a “sapphic modernity” subtly but radically challenges existing narratives of modern European art.

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