Alice Ernestine Prin (October 2, 1901 – April 29, 1953), was a French artists' model, nightclub singer, actress, and painter. Her chosen name was simply, Kiki, but she also was referred to as, Reine de la Montparnasse, the Queen of Montparnasse, and Kiki de Montparnasse. She flourished in, and helped define, the liberated culture of Paris in the 1920s. In 1996, biographers, Billy Klüver and Julie Martin, called her "one of the century's first truly independent women." is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... Art modeling involves the posing of a model to as an aid in creating a work of art. ... Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Billy Klüver (1927-2004) Johan Wilhelm (Billy) Klüver was born in Monaco, November 13, 1927, and grew up in Sweden. ...

The model in this Julian Mandel black and white photograph is belived to be Kiki ^{[citation needed]}

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Nude in stream, ca. ...

Early life

Alice Prin was born in Châtillon-sur-Seine, Côte d'Or, Burgundy, France. An illegitimate child, she was raised in abject poverty by her grandmother. At age twelve, she was sent to live with her mother in Paris in order to find work. She first worked in shops and bakeries. By age fourteen, she was posing nude for sculptors, which created discord with her mother. Châtillon-sur-Seine is a commune of the Côte-dOr département, Bourgogne région, France. ... For other uses, see Côte dOr (disambiguation). ... Coat of arms of the second Duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: ; German: ) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks; the former gave their... This article is about the capital of France. ... Sculptor redirects here. ...

Notoriety begins

Nude color portrait by Julian Mandel (1935)[[1]]

Kiki became a fixture in the Montparnasse social scene and a popular artists' model, posing for dozens of artists, including Chaim Soutine, Tsuguharu Foujita, Francis Picabia, Jean Cocteau, Alexander Calder, Per Krohg, Hermine David, Pablo Gargallo, Mayo, and Tono Salazar. Moise Kisling painted a portrait of Kiki titled, Nu assis, one of his best known. Image File history File links Julian_Mandel_6. ... Image File history File links Julian_Mandel_6. ... Nude in stream, ca. ... The Montparnasse Tower, which at 209m was the tallest building in Western Europe when it was built. ... Chaim Soutine (1893 – August 9, 1943) was an expressionist painter. ... Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, also known as Fujita (藤田 嗣治, November 27, 1886–January 29, 1968) was a painter and engraver born in Tokyo, Japan who applied French oil techniques to Japanese-style paintings. ... Francis Picabia in his studio. ... Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... For other persons named Alexander Calder, see Alexander Calder (disambiguation). ... Per Lasson Krohg (18 June 1889 - 3 March 1965) was a Norwegian artist. ... Hérmine David (1886, Paris - 1970) was a French painter, and a wife of Jules Pascin. ... Pablo Emilio Gargallo (January 5, 1881 – December 28, 1934) was a Spanish sculptor and painter. ... Places called Mayo include:hi County Mayo, a county in Ireland Mayo, a settlement in County Mayo, Ireland Mayo, a place in the U.S. state of Florida Mayo, a town in Trinidad and Tobago The Division of Mayo, an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia Mayo, a town in... Antonio Toño Salazar (June 1897 - December 1986) was a Salvadoran caricaturist, illustrator and diplomat. ... Moise Kisling (January 22, 1891 - April 29, 1953) was a Polish painter. ...

Man Ray, who was her companion for most of the 1920s, made hundreds of portraits of her. She is the subject of some of his best known images, including Le violon d'Ingres and Noire et blanche. Man Ray, photographed at Gaite-Montparnasse exhibition in Paris by Carl Van Vechten on June 16, 1934 Man Ray (August 27, 1890–November 18, 1976) was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. ...

She appears in nine short and often experimental films, including Fernand Léger's Ballet mécanique without any credit. Still Life with a Beer Mug, 1921. ... Ballet mécanique is a 1924 experimental film directed by Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy with music by George Antheil and starring Alice Prin. ...

Successful artwork and banned autobiography

A painter in her own right, in 1927 Kiki had a sold-out exhibition of her paintings at Galerie au Sacre du Printemps in Paris. Signing her artwork with her chosen single name, Kiki, she usually noted the year. Her drawings and paintings comprise portraits, self-portraits, social activities, fanciful animals, and dreamy landscapes composed in a light, slightly uneven, expressionist style that is a reflection of her easy-going manner and boundless optimism. Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ernest Hemingway and Tsuguharu Foujita provided the introduction for her 1929 memoirs. Entitled, "Kiki's Memoirs", it was published the following year in New York City by Black Manikin Press, but immediately was banned by the United States government. Kiki's Memoirs remained barred in the United States through the late 1970s when it was still held in the section for banned books in the New York Public Library. Finally, in 1996, her autobiography was translated into English and published. Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, also known as Fujita (藤田 嗣治, November 27, 1886–January 29, 1968) was a painter and engraver born in Tokyo, Japan who applied French oil techniques to Japanese-style paintings. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kikis Memoirs is the 1929 autobiographical account of the life of Alice Prin (October 2, 1901 - April 29, 1953), also known as Kiki de Montparnasse; a model, artist and actress working in Montparnasse, Paris in the first half of the twentieth century. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Kiki's music hall performances in black hose and garters included crowd-pleasing risqué songs, which were uninhibited, yet inoffensive. For a few years during the 1930s, she owned a Montparnasse cabaret, which she named Chez Kiki.

The symbol of bohemian and creative Paris, at age of twenty-eight she was declared Queen of Montparnasse. Even during difficult times, she maintained her positive attitude, saying "all I need is an onion, a bit of bread, and a bottle of red [wine]; and I will always find somebody to offer me that". She left Paris to avoid the occupying German army during World War Two and she never returned as a resident. The term bohemian was first used in the nineteenth century to describe the non-traditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities. ... The Montparnasse Tower, which at 209m was the tallest building in Western Europe when it was built. ...

Death and legacy

Kiki died in 1953 in Sanary-sur-Mer, France at the age of fifty-two, apparently from complications of alcoholism or drug dependency. A large crowd of artists and fans attended her funeral in Paris and followed the procession to her burial in Cimetière du Montparnasse. Her burial site is identified as, Kiki, 1901-1953, singer, actor, painter, "Queen of Montparnasse". Foujita said that, with Kiki, they buried—forever—the glorious days of Montparnasse. The commune of Sanary-sur-Mer is a seaside resort in the département of Var in Provence 13 km from Toulon and 49 km from Marseille, in the south of France. ... The Cimetière du Montparnasse is a famous cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, France. ... Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, also known as Fujita (藤田 嗣治, November 27, 1886–January 29, 1968) was a painter and engraver born in Tokyo, Japan who applied French oil techniques to Japanese-style paintings. ...

Long after her death, Kiki remains the embodiment of the outspokenness, audacity, and creativity that marked this period of Montparnasse. In her honor, a daylily was named Kiki de Montparnasse. Species See text. ...

References

• Kiki of Montparnasse (1968) by Frederick Kohner
• Kiki: Reine de la Montparnasse - Lou Mollgaard (In French - 1988)
• Kiki's Memoirs (translation by Samuel Putnam) - Kiki (1996)
• Kiki's Paris - Kluver and Martin (1996)
• Kiki de Montparnasse - Catel & Bocquet (In French - 2007)

External links

• Kiki of Montparnasse at the Internet Movie Database
• Kiki de Montparnasse - Selected Works
• Kiki de Montparnasse comic by Catel and José-Louis Bocquet