I have come to Copenhagen to see two exhibitions of work by pioneering 20th. century female artists at two stunning galleries: Sonia Delaunay at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Suzanne Valadon Artist, Model, Rebel at the Glyptoteket.
‘From a childhood marked by poverty to a career as a popular artist’s model, French artist Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) defied the odds to become a successful painter.
She challenged the social norms of her time to assert her independence, becoming the first self-taught woman to exhibit at Salon de la Nationale des Beaux Arts. Valadon defied her background in terms of class, gender and lifestyle, breaking new ground with her uncompromising portraits and nudes.
It is more than a century since Valadon painted her unapologetic portraits of self-assured women with strong, curvaceous bodies. The Glyptotek’s exhibition Suzanne Valadon – model, painter, rebel presents the contribution the artist made to European art at the beginning of the 20th century with a focus on her agency and business acumen. With their dark hallmark contours and bright colours, Valadon’s works demonstrate wit and boldness in grappling with themes and issues that continue to provoke debate today: female desire, the conflicts of marriage and motherhood, and the way women themselves experience their bodies.’ Glyptoteket exhibition introduction.
‘Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979) was at the same time a painter, designer, and entrepreneur. She ranks among the most original and fascinating voices of modernism.
When Sonia Delaunay entered a Parisian dance hall in 1913 wearing a collage-like dress that resembled a colorful, cubist painting, it was a statement that attracted attention. It made an impression in the avant-garde environment of the time. Here, the visual art came strolling out of the painting’s frame and directly into the modern, dynamic everyday life.
Right there Delaunay manifested her artistic program and trademark: it was not just about modernizing the visual arts but the culture in a much broader sense.’ Louisiana Modern Art Museum exhibition introduction.