Lucy Krohg (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Cécile Marie Vidil; 6 April 1891 – 17 August 1977) was a French model, artist, dancer, and gallerist.

Early life and family

Cécile Marie Vidil was born on 6 April 1891, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She was the daughter of Cécile Vidil (née Jampa) and baker François Victor Vidil (d. 1938). An independent teen, she entered the circle of artists gathered around

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...

and

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

and was a model for

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

and

Albert Marquet Albert Marquet (; 27 March 1875 – 14 June 1947) was a French painter. He initially became one of the Fauve painters and a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse. Marquet subsequently painted in a more naturalistic style, primarily landscapes, bu ...

. In 1909, she met

Jules Pascin Julius Mordecai Pincas (March 31, 1885 – June 2, 1930), known as Pascin (, erroneously or ), Jules Pascin, also known as the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian artist of the School of Paris, known for his paintings and drawings. He ...

and posed for him in the first representations of her to be found and, as would be with Pascin, a brief intimate relationship occurred starting in 1910. By 1910 she was the most favored model at the Académie Matisse the students founding her a perfect

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

for their work. During one of the evenings on the dance floor at Bal Bullier, she came in closer contact with one student from the Académie Matisse, Per Krohg. Per Krohg was known not only for his artistic work, but completed several dance courses and was a dance floor master. Beginning that evening the couple found themselves inseparable. Signifying her new-found union, the young lady in a radical cut of her hair established a distinctive style to be hers for the rest of her life. The couple were married on 21 December 1915, and in 1917 Lucy gave birth to a son, Guy.Klüver, Billy; Martin, Julie (1985), Kiki's Paris : artists and lovers 1900-1930, Abrams, ISBN 978-0-8109-1210-6

Later life

Pascin left Paris in 1914 with his fiancée Hermine David, and married her in 1918. He returned to

in the autumn of 1920 and in the spring of 1921 sought a return to his former intimacy, however brief it was, with the now married Lucy Krohg. In the summer of 1921, Per Krohg left for

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

for a painting plein-air workshop, and Pascin and Hermine David's relationship ended in separation. Lucy was committed to her marriage, but was strongly habitual in supporting Pascin, who had become dependent on alcohol and threatened to commit suicide. Lucy led a double life, maintaining her own ménage and looking after

Pascin Julius Mordecai Pincas (March 31, 1885 – June 2, 1930), known as Pascin (, erroneously or ), Jules Pascin, also known as the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian artist of the School of Paris, known for his paintings and drawings. He ...

. This situation lasted for three years. In 1924, Krohg took his son away. In 1927 Pascin was threatened with the loss of American citizenship and was forced to live in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for at least one year. Yet five months after his departure, Hermine David joined him. Together, they returned to Europe and travelled to Spain and Portugal, and then found themselves in Paris.

already suffered from depression and was an alcoholic. On 5 June 1930, when his own solo exhibition was to be opened, he committed suicide in his studio. First, he cut his wrists and wrote ''Adieu Lucy'' on the wall with blood and then he hanged himself. The body was discovered three days later by Krohg. After the opening of his will, it was discovered that Pascin had shared his estate between his wife, Hermine David, and Lucy. Lucy's marriage had not really existed for many years, the official divorce from Per Krohg only taking place in 1934, when he wished to marry another woman. In later years, Krohg's name appeared periodically while exhibiting Pascin's works, as half of the collection remained in her possession. In 1932 established her own gallery based on it, Galerie Lucy Krohg, at 10bis place Saint-Augustin, in the 8th arrondissement. Her gallery remained open for 40 years. Krohg died on 17 August 1977, in Paris at the age of 86.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krohg, Lucy 1891 births 1977 deaths 20th-century French women French art dealers French artists' models French female models Models from Paris 20th-century French women painters