Suzanne Valadon: A Female Gaze

On the margins of the dominant movements of her time—Cubism and abstract art were emerging as she passionately defended the necessity of painting the real—Suzanne Valadon placed the nude, both female and male, at the heart of her work. She depicted bodies without artifice or voyeurism, embracing a direct and unembellished approach.

This exhibition sheds light on this exceptional figure, emphasising her often underestimated pioneering role in the birth of modernity in art. It highlights the remarkable freedom of an artist who did not align herself with any particular movement—except, perhaps, her own. Featuring nearly two hundred works, the exhibition draws from the wealth of national collections, particularly that of the Centre Pompidou, which holds the largest collection of her works, as well as the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie. Exceptional loans from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Fondation de l’Hermitage and significant private collections further enrich the presentation. This marks the first monographic exhibition dedicated to Suzanne Valadon in Paris since the Musée National d’Art Moderne’s retrospective in 1967.

I drew madly so that, when I no longer have eyes, I will have them at my fingertips.

Suzanne Valadon

The exhibition “Suzanne Valadon” traces her extraordinary journey, from her beginnings as the favoured model of Montmartre to her early recognition as an artist by her peers and critics. A true bridge between centuries, Suzanne Valadon captured the vibrant energy of fin-de-siècle Paris, with its cafés, dance halls and cabarets, and the sweeping artistic, intellectual and social revolutions of the time.

The exhibition underscores the resolutely modern nature of Valadon’s work, including her groundbreaking status as the first woman to paint a large-format frontal male nude. This unprecedented exploration of her oeuvre also highlights her friendships and artistic connections with the bohemian painters of her time and her undeniable influence on the Parisian art scene, bolstered by the active support of fellow artists and gallerists. ◼