24th Conference. Marie Laurencin: Setting the Scene

Paris in the 1920s was marked by a spirit of renewal and artistic freedom. In this environment, Marie Laurencin (1883–1956) emerged as one of the most successful artists of the French avant-garde. Active in the circle of Cubist artists and in close exchange with Guillaume Apollinaire, Gertrude Stein, and Pablo Picasso, she developed a reduced figurative style in pastel colors. Her work, which focuses almost exclusively on the depiction of women, explores femininity and identity as consciously staged and changeable roles. Laurencin did not work solely as a painter. She designed stage sets and costumes for the Ballets Russes. Her paintings inspired leading fashion houses. She exhibited alongside designers and collaborated with them on interiors. In addition, she wrote poetry and illustrated books.

The symposium prepares for the exhibition, which will be on view at the Museum Barberini from July 24 to October 24, 2027. The exhibition presents an artist whose central role in modernism has long been underestimated. Featuring numerous works on loan from the Musée Marie Laurencin in Tokyo, shown in Germany for the first time.
 

Programme_Laurencin (PDF, 563.17KB)

from 09:30 a.m.
Access for attendees to the symposium

10:00
Welcome
Ortrud Westheider, Museum Barberini, Potsdam

10:15
Re-Discovering Marie Laurencin: An Artist in Many Circles
Camille Morineau, Centre Pompidou, Paris
Lecture in English

11:15
The Price of ‘Femininity’: Laurencin, Strategy and Self-Fashioning in the International Art Market
Giovanni Casini, Università di Torino
Lecture in English

12:15 – Lunch break

14:00
In Rose and Blue: Laurencin, Poets and Writers, from Apollinaire to Colette
Emilie Bouvard, Fondation Giacometti, Paris
Lecture in English

15:00
On Stage: Laurencin’s Work for the Ballet
Jane Pritchard, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Lecture in English

16:00 – Coffee break

16:30
En vogue: Laurencin across Painting, Fashion and Media
Anna Heling, Museum Barberini, Potsdam

17:30
A Studio of One’s Own: Laurencin and the Interior
Sterre Barentsen, Museum Barberini, Potsdam

18:30
Reception