Moving Forward. The Red Dress, Ca 1938: French Modernist Woman Artist Oil on Canvas

No, this young lady is not happy, but the worst has passed. Although she is still clutching her large white hanky, the tears have dried up. Her face is a fascinating study of micro emotions as we see her mind re-living the incident or its results with despondency, but also a building resolve to move forward. She also already seems to be slight bored of posing for the artist!

The artist is the unconventional woman painter Alice Kohn, who created this work in the 1930s.

Born into a provincial middle class Jewish family in 1902, Alice painted and exhibited while moonlighting as an actress and singer on stage and on the radio, modelled for Picasso and fought undercover in the Resistance durning WW2!

Alice initially studied with fellow woman artist Madeleine Plantais before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts from Lyon. She exhibited as early as 1926 at the Salon de Sud Est as well as at the Galerie Pouillé-Lecoutre and Galerie des Archers.

She became friends with René Dumas, Pierre Pelloux, Antoine Chartres, and Henri Vieilly with whom she created the group “Les Nouveaux”: the New Ones!

“Les Nouveaux” first exhibited together in 1931 at the Saint-Pierre gallery. Critics greatly praised Kohn’s works shown at the 1931 Salon d’Automne in Paris as well as the Salon du Sud Est. The Galerie Saint-Pierre in Lyon organised her first solo exhibition in 1933.

In 1936 Kohn met Pierre Bonnard and Fujita. She became friends with the artist Salvado who was Picasso’s model for his painting “l’Arlequin.” Kohn also modelled for Picasso. In 1941 she exhibited at “Galerie Roger” in Lyon.

For undercover operations in the French Resistance, Alice changed her name to “Marie-Claude” and worked as the secretary for the Regional State Major of Combat.

I was fortunate to be able to acquire a small quantity of works by Alice from an estate close to the artist. Here is one of my favourites, a rare signed work, an oil on canvas measuring 73 x 50 cm. The overall size of the picture in a gallery frame is 76.5 x 53.5 cm.

Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.