Please join the upcoming French-Speaking Worlds: Then and Now talk with author Mark Braude.

Kiki Man Ray, Art, Love, and Rivalry in 1920s Paris

Abstract: Alice Prin (1901-1953), better known as Kiki de Montparnasse, is remembered chiefly for having posed for many now-iconic artists in 1920s Paris, especially the photographer Man Ray, with whom she lived for most of that decade. This talk highlights the ways in which Kiki may have been the more influential figure in post-WWI Montparnasse, not only as a model and so-called muse but as a performer, actor, painter, and writer. Chronicling Kiki and Man Ray’s professional and personal connections allows us to question what it means to be an “artist” and a “model/muse” and to blur the lines separating these two descriptors.

Bio: MARK BRAUDE is the author of Kiki Man Ray, The Invisible Emperor, and Making Monte Carlo. His books have been translated into seven languages. Kiki Man Ray was one of The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2022, named to Best of 2022 lists by The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, ArtNet, and others, and a nominee for The American Library in Paris Book Awards and The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature.   

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Hosted by the French-Speaking Worlds: Then and Now Research Group, sponsored by the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages Research Unit and co-sponsored by the France-Stanford Center and Stanford Global Studies.

This event is part of Stanford Global Studies’ Global Research Workshop Program.