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Born in Chatillon-sur-Seine, Côte d'Or, Burgundy, France on October 2, 1901. An illegitimate child, she was raised in abject poverty by her grandmother. At age 12 she was sent to Paris to be educated and by age 14 she was posing nude for sculptors.
Alice Prin became one of the most famous artists' models ever, the most notable of which is a colection of photographs by Man Ray and the portrait of her painted by Moise Kisling titled Nu assis. Her partnership with Man Ray produced some of Surrealism's most significant images. The symbol of bohemian and creative Paris, at age 28 she was declared " Queen of Montparnasse." Her music hall performances, in black hose and garters, included crowd-pleasing raunchy songs, which somehow were both uninhibited yet inoffensive. She also had a role in nine different motion pictures, including Fernand Leger's famous Ballet mécanique.
She was the mistress of Man Ray, and a friend of Chaim SoutineChaim Soutine ( 1894 August 8, 1944) was an expressionist painter. Born in Smilovichi, Belarus, he immigrated to Paris in 1911 with his friends Pinchus Kremegne and Michel Kikoine where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He soon developed a highly pe, Jean CocteauJean Maurice Eugene Clement Cocteau ( July 5, 1889 October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, and filmmaker. He was born at Maisons-Laffitte, France, a small town near Paris. His versatility, unconventionality, and enormous output, Max ErnstMax Ernst ( April 2, 1891 April 1, 1976) was a German painter. Max Ernst was born in Bruhl, Germany. In 1909, he enrolled in the University at Bonn to study philosophy but soon abandoned these courses to pursue his interest in art. In 1913 he met Guillaum and other artists. Ernest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway ( July 21, 1899 July 2, 1961) was an American author. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and committed suicide in Ketchum, Idaho. Hemingway was one of the 20th century's most important and influential writers, and many details of h and Tsuguharu FoujitaLeonard Tsuguharu Foujita also known as Fujita ( , November 27, 1886 January 29, 1968) was a painter and engraver born in Tokyo, Japan who applied French oil techniques to Japanese-style paintings. In 1910 Foujita graduated from what is now the Tokyo Nati provided the introduction for her 1929Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 See also 1929 in aviation 1929 in film 1929 in literature 1929 in mu memoirs. This book was published the following year in New York City by Black Manikin Press but it was banned by the United States government. Kiki's Memoirs remained barred in the United States as late as the 1970s when it was still held in the section for banned books in the New York Public Library. Finally, in 1996, her book was translated and published.
Long after her time, Kiki remains the embodiment of the outspokenness, audacity, and creativity that marked this period of Montparnasse. She has a Daylily named after her: Kiki De Montparnasse.
A capable painter in her own right, a sold-out exhibition of Kiki's own paintings was held in Paris' Galerie au Sacre du Printemps in 1927. Her drawings and paintings comprised portraits and dreamy landscapes composed in a light, slightly uneven expressionist style that was very much a reflection of her own easy-going manner and boundless optimism.
Even during difficult times, she maintained her positive attitude saying, "All I need is an onion, a bit of bread, and a bottle of red (wine); and I will always find somebody to offer me that."
When she died, a huge crowd of artists and fans attended her funeral. Foujita said that with Kiki, they buried forever the glorious days of Montparnasse.
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