Madrid Films by Women Festival: The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & the Art of Survival, screening and discussion

Once again this year the museum is taking part in the Madrid Films by Women Festival with the Spanish premiere of a full-length title centred on art, on this occasion devoted to the celebrated Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka (1894-1980). The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & the Art of Survival (USA, 2024) is an original documentary directed by Julie Rubio that chronicles the artist's struggle for artistic and personal freedom in a world marked by war and the profound social changes of her time. The artist’s work is presented as a testament to survival and perpetual transformation, reaffirming her as an emblem of modernity. 

The film portrays the life of the painter, an icon of Art Deco, from her rise to fame in 1920s Paris and her flight from Fascism to the United States in 1940 to her resurgence on the contemporary art market, through powerful paintings depicting high society, nudes, and her own lifestyle. It has been selected for the Mill Valley and San Diego Film Festivals (USA), the Morelia Film Festival (Mexico), and the Krakow Film Festival (Poland). 

Devoted to a prominent female artist, this session of the festival will include presentations by Evelio Acevedo, managing director of the Museo Thyssen; Maria Slebioda, director of the Polish Cultural Institute; Julie Rubio, the film’s director; Blake Wellen, its producer; and Diego Mas Trelles, co-director of the festival. After the screening the director will take part in a discussion with Marisa de Lempicka, the artist's great-granddaughter.