Marie Laurencin

Marie Laurencin (1883–1956) was a French painter and printmaker associated with the Parisian avant-garde and early Cubism. Born in Paris, she studied at the Académie Humbert and developed a distinctive style noted for lyrical, pastel-toned portraits, often of women. Laurencin exhibited with leading modernists and was connected to influential artistic circles in prewar Paris. During World War I she lived in Spain, returning to France in the 1920s. In addition to painting and printmaking, she wrote, including memoirs and poetry. Over her long career she also produced designs for the stage and decorative arts, and her work remains widely collected.