Misia Sert
Encyclopedia
Misia Sert was a pianist
of Polish
descent who hosted an artistic salon
in Paris
. She was a patron and friend of numerous artists, for whom she regularly posed
.
Her father, Cyprian Godebski
(1835-1909), was a renowned Polish sculptor, and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts
in St. Petersburg from 1870. Her mother, Zofia Servais, was the daughter of a noted Belgian
cellist
, Adrien-François Servais
.
n town of Tsarskoye Selo
outside St. Petersburg, where her father was engaged in reconstruction of the tsarist palace. Her mother died giving birth to her. She was called Misia, a Polish diminutive of the name Maria.
Early in her youth Misia was discovered to be a gifted pianist. She married Tadeusz Natanson (known as Thadée Natanson) a Polish emigre politician and journalist, when she was 21, although later she lied about her age and claimed to have been married at 15. Later her husband was to become the editor of La Revue blanche, a Parisian Dreyfusard journal. When Natanson was on the brink of bankruptcy, the newspaper magnate Alfred Edwards
saved him, on condition that he surrender his wife to him. Misia began living with Alfred Edwards in 1903. Around that time she started hosting a literary-artistic salon
in Paris. She acquired considerable influence in Parisian musical and artistic circles. Stéphane Mallarmé
, Maurice Ravel
, Claude Debussy
, as well as painters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir
, Édouard Vuillard
, Félix Vallotton
, and Pierre Bonnard
were among her guests. She was a confidante of Pablo Picasso
and Jean Cocteau
, an early patron of Sergei Diaghilev
's Ballets Russes
and a close friend of the designer Coco Chanel
.
Misia's third marriage was to the Spanish painter Jose Maria Sert
(1876-1945). She loved Sert, and gave him up when he fell in love with another woman, Isabelle Roussadana Mdivani
.
Misia was a noted beauty who was painted many times. She was one of the models for Toulouse-Lautrec's
poster for La Revue blanche in 1895, in which she is shown as a skater. A portrait of Misia by Renoir is now in the Tate
Gallery.http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG6306
Ravel
dedicated Le Cygne (The Swan) in Histoires naturelles and La Valse (The Waltz) to her. In June 1905 Misia and her husband invited Ravel to join them, and the painters Bonnard and Laprade as well as their parents, on their cruise-ship "Aimée" for a six week holiday trip on the rivers and canals of northern France, Begium, Holland and Germany.
H.H. Stuckenschmidt - "Maurice Ravel" Variationen über Person und Werk
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
descent who hosted an artistic salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She was a patron and friend of numerous artists, for whom she regularly posed
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
.
Her father, Cyprian Godebski
Cyprian Godebski (sculptor)
Cyprian Godebski was a Polish sculptor and from 1870 a professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg...
(1835-1909), was a renowned Polish sculptor, and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
in St. Petersburg from 1870. Her mother, Zofia Servais, was the daughter of a noted Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, Adrien-François Servais
Adrien-Francois Servais
Adrien-François Servais was one of the most influential cellists of the nineteenth century. He was born and died in Halle, Belgium.Servais was originally trained as a violinist before switching to the cello...
.
Life
Maria Zofia Olga Zenajda Godebska was born on 30 March 1872 to a Polish father and a half-Belgian, half-Russian mother, in the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n town of Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
outside St. Petersburg, where her father was engaged in reconstruction of the tsarist palace. Her mother died giving birth to her. She was called Misia, a Polish diminutive of the name Maria.
Early in her youth Misia was discovered to be a gifted pianist. She married Tadeusz Natanson (known as Thadée Natanson) a Polish emigre politician and journalist, when she was 21, although later she lied about her age and claimed to have been married at 15. Later her husband was to become the editor of La Revue blanche, a Parisian Dreyfusard journal. When Natanson was on the brink of bankruptcy, the newspaper magnate Alfred Edwards
Alfred Edwards (journalist)
Alfred Charles Edwards was a journalist and magnate of the French press.-Life:The son of Charles Edwards and his French wife Emilie Caporal , Alfred Edwards studied in Paris before beginning his press career with Le Figaro in...
saved him, on condition that he surrender his wife to him. Misia began living with Alfred Edwards in 1903. Around that time she started hosting a literary-artistic salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
in Paris. She acquired considerable influence in Parisian musical and artistic circles. Stéphane Mallarmé
Stéphane Mallarmé
Stéphane Mallarmé , whose real name was Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of the early 20th century, such as Dadaism, Surrealism, and Futurism.-Biography:Stéphane...
, Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
, Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
, as well as painters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
, Édouard Vuillard
Édouard Vuillard
Jean-Édouard Vuillard was a French painter and printmaker associated with the Nabis.-Early years and education:...
, Félix Vallotton
Félix Vallotton
Félix Edouard Vallotton was a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with Les Nabis. He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut.-Life and work:...
, and Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis.-Biography:...
were among her guests. She was a confidante of Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
, an early patron of Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
's Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
and a close friend of the designer Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
.
Misia's third marriage was to the Spanish painter Jose Maria Sert
Jose Maria Sert
Josep Maria Sert i Badia was a Catalan muralist, the son of an affluent Catalan textile industry family and friend of Salvador Dalí....
(1876-1945). She loved Sert, and gave him up when he fell in love with another woman, Isabelle Roussadana Mdivani
Mdivani
Mdivani is the name of a family of nobility, originating from the nation of Georgia. The best known bearers of this name were the children of Zakhari and Elizabeth Mdivani. The five siblings fled to Paris after the Russian Revolution of 1917, and became known as the "Marrying Mdivanis", as they...
.
Misia was a noted beauty who was painted many times. She was one of the models for Toulouse-Lautrec's
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
poster for La Revue blanche in 1895, in which she is shown as a skater. A portrait of Misia by Renoir is now in the Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
Gallery.http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG6306
Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
dedicated Le Cygne (The Swan) in Histoires naturelles and La Valse (The Waltz) to her. In June 1905 Misia and her husband invited Ravel to join them, and the painters Bonnard and Laprade as well as their parents, on their cruise-ship "Aimée" for a six week holiday trip on the rivers and canals of northern France, Begium, Holland and Germany.
Sources
- Time Magazine Profile of Misia Sert
- A Biography for People who influenced Ravel
- A web page about well known salons, in French
H.H. Stuckenschmidt - "Maurice Ravel" Variationen über Person und Werk