During the blogfest, you had a glimpse of the ART world, via the alphabetical mini-art tour. For the Final Day of the challenge, we are back in Paris, on the Left Bank, in Montparnasse.
Le Dôme Café, Paris
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| Painting of the Café du Dome, in old Montparnasse |
Le Dôme Café or Café du Dôme is a restaurant in Montparnasse, Paris. It was the first café of its kind there, opening as early as 1898. Known as the 'Anglo-American café', it attracted an artistic and literary crowd. It was frequented by the famous (and soon to be famous) painters, sculptors, writers, poets, models, art connoisseurs and dealers. Le Dôme later became the gathering place of the American literary colony and a focal point for Paris' Left Bank artists. Valentine Prax Zadkine was one of those artists at 'The Dome'.
1897-1981
Valentine Prax Zadkine, a French painter, didn't come to Paris until 1919. Her early life was spent in French Algeria. When she first began her life in Paris, Valentine lived in poverty in a tiny studio on rue Rousselet, in Montparnasse. Her accommodations improved when an established painter, Charles Dufresne, discovered her and loaned his studio on
the Ile St-Louis for her use.
Valentine frequented The Dome and La Rotonde, the cafés where the 'great avant-garde' met to discuss art and ideas. It was at The Dome that she met the sculptor, Ossip Zadkine, who had emigrated from Russia in 1910. They married the following year.
In 1920, Valentine began exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries as well as the exhibition in 1924 at Galerie Berthe Weill. By this time, she was starting to establish a reputation for her work, which explored rural life in a raw expressionistic manner.
In 1937, she exhibited alongside Picasso. In 1967, when Ossip died, Valentine worked to prepare a museum for 300 of his works, in his former home where he lived between 1928-1967. When she died in 1981, Valentine gave Ossip's property to the museum.
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To view Valentine's paintings:
http://www.zadkine.com/works/valentine-prax The works of Valentine Prax Zadkine; Zadkine Research Centre. Please visit the web site to see more images and information.
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Have you heard of Valentine Prax or Valentine Prax Zadkine? Have you heard of her husband, Ossip Zadkine, sculptor? Have you been to Le Dôme in Paris?
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Thanks to all those who dropped by during this month of April, as part of the A to Z Challenge! I've enjoyed the comments and the discussions. This group of ART themed posts will reside under a tab at the top of the blog, after April.
Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on.
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References:
http://www.haninafinearts.com/artists/valentine_prax/biography - Valentine Biography
http://www.zadkine.com/life/biography Biography of Ossip, and photo of the couple
http://www.zadkine.com/life/valentine-prax Valentine Prax Zadkine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_D%C3%B4me_Caf%C3%A9 Le Dome Café
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Image credits:
a painting of the Café du Dome, Montparnasse.
(Painting by unknown author who died more than 100 years ago.)
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