PHOTO BY CAROL STRAMETZ
Man Ray was an American surrealist known primarily for his avant-garde photography . They met in the early 1920s , and a passionate but conflicted relationship developed between them . Man Ray was possessive and jealous and couldn ’ t accept Kiki ’ s free spirit , but they loved each other and collaborated on artistic works that featured her . In late 1928 or 1929 , their relationship ended . Man Ray never acknowledged Kiki and did not name her as the model in some of his most famous photographs ( Le Violon d ’ Ingres and Noire et blanche ). Man Ray went on to become a successful and influential artist , but Kiki ’ s life spiraled into depression and addiction . She died poor at the age of fifty-two . Man Ray refused to comment and to attend her funeral . Her friends collected funds for a procession through Montparnasse but not enough to bury her in the Montparnasse Cemetery , where she had wished to be alongside artists and intellectuals . Sadly , she was laid to rest in the pauper ’ s vault at the Thiasis Cemetery .
The Unfinished Palazzo is captivating but repetitive . All three women of the Palazzo Venier were wealthy and had bad marriages , bad divorces , famous lovers , dresses by famous designers , portraits by famous artists , alienated children , and outlandish lifestyles . Although Kiki de Montparnasse was not wealthy and sewed her own clothes , she did have famous lovers and was a muse for famous artists . She had the joie de vivre to create her own persona , and Kiki Man Ray pays her homage .
THE TAKES
Two easy-reading and wellresearched books that bring to life four fascinating women who , in their own ways , influenced , propagated , and preserved the art movements of the respective eras in which they lived — from the turn of the nineteenth century to postwar Europe . Flamboyant women who believed in themselves .
Carol Harbers
During a time before Instagram and selfies , Mackrell ’ s documentation of the “ relentless self-absorption and unfiltered vanity “ of three notoriously eccentric women who loved to display themselves was at least good for gossip ( to gawk ) at their parties and lifestyles in Venice , although I sympathized more with Kiki de Montparnasse in the second book , who was hardly born with a silver spoon in her mouth .
Venita Kaleps
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