Suzanne Valadon

Beatrice Loayza | 4Columns | 11th April 2025

Valadon is usually considered a minor figure in fin de siècle Paris. A “stellar” retrospective indicates she is more than that. Entering the bohemian art world of Montmartre as a model, she somehow managed to become an artist herself. Not surprisingly, themes of motherhood and adolescent self-discovery appear often in her paintings. Her female figures are shown empathetically, as “subjects, not objects”. Although they are being scrutinised by the artist, “their secrets and obsessions are their own”.