Adam and Eve (Tamara de Lempicka)
Adam and Eve is a 1932 oil-on-panel painting by the Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka. It is in the Art Deco style and depicts a male nude embracing a female nude who holds an apple. In the background are stylized skyscrapers. The painting is 116 by 73 centimetres (46 by 29 in), and is housed in a private collection.
| Adam and Eve | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Tamara de Lempicka |
| Year | 1932 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 116 cm × 73 cm (46 in × 29 in) |
| Location | Private collection |
Description
Lempicka was fond of repeating stories about the creation of Adam and Eve. The inspiration for this painting arose when a professional female model took a break to eat an apple. Lempicka asked her to hold the pose and started to sketch. She then invited a policeman who was making his rounds in the streets to pose for Adam.[1]
The inspiration for this painting arose when a professional female model took a break to eat an apple. Lempicka asked her to hold the pose and started to sketch. She then invited a policeman who was making his rounds in the streets to pose for Adam. Lempicka contrasts the natural beauty of human bodies beauty with a barren, industrious cityscape.[2]
Provenance
The painting previously belonged to Barbra Streisand, acquired around 1986 for $135,000. On March 3, 1996, Christie's held a dedicated sale of Streisand's collection, including Adam and Eve, which sold for $1,982,500, at the time, setting a record price for the artist at auction. Streisand told the NY Times: "We screamed when the Lempicka price went over $1 million ... I was working out with my exercise teacher and when the bidding went over the top I screamed."[3]
The work is currently in a private collection.
In the media
In December 1993, Architectural Digest featured Barbra Streisand's Art-Deco-inspired Malibu home; the front cover of the issue included an image of Streisand and Adam and Eve.[4]
In 1996, the movie First Wives Club included Adam and Eve. In the film, the painting belongs to Elise Eliot-Atchison, played by Goldie Hawn.
References
- [Book: Women Artists in Interwar France: Framing Femininity's, P. 187, ISBN 0-7546-6978-5]
- Sandoval, Marisa (2009). "Cityscapes and Sexuality in Tamara de Lempicka's Adam and Eve".
- Reif, Rita (March 4, 1994). "Record Price In a Sale of Art Owned By Streisand".
- Viladas, Pilar (December 1, 1993). "Inside Barbra Streisand's House in Malibu".