Paris Portraits: Stories of Picasso, Mattisse, Gertrude Stein, and Their Circle - Hardcover

Levy, Harriet Lane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597141577 ISBN 13: 9781597141574

Publisher: Heyday Books, 2011

Synopsis

In 1906, Harriet Levy was talked into moving to Paris by her friend Alice B. Toklas and suddenly found herself immersed in a strange world peopled by artists who spoke a language she could not understand--a colorful world that she could only remotely observe in black and white.

Paris Portraits is a short masterpiece. This sparkling manuscript, long hidden in the archives of the University of California's Bancroft Library, brings to life a vibrant and mythic time and place. Through Harriet's eyes, we circulate among the artists and patrons in the salons of Gertrude and Sarah Stein, overhear conversations between the up-and-coming Matisse and his students, and see Gertrude Stein's reaction when she learns of Picasso putting his hand on Toklas's knee. We're present when, while reading the poetry of Tagore, Harriet looks up and for the first time, sees--really sees and understands with the heart--what Matisse is doing.

Paris Portraits enables us to visit, however briefly, a world that has left its mark on our imaginations and will inspire those generations of writers, poets, and artists to come.

About this title

About the Author

Harriet Lane Levy, best known for her memoir, 920 O'Farrell Street, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1886 and became a prominent writer for popular San Francisco publications, including The San Francisco Call. She visited Paris many times, the first being with her friends Michael and Sarah Stein. She later returned to live in Paris with Toklas for two years. In 1910 she resettled in San Francisco, where she lived until her death in 1950.

Review

'Harriet Levy's vivid, engaging, and often surprisingly candid reminiscences--from her struggle to find her place within a heady scene of international artists and expatriates to the beginnings of her important art collecting and her lifelong devotion to Matisse--provide an invaluable lens into modern art as it developed.' ---- Janet Bishop, curator of painting and sculpture, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

'Harriet Lane Levy is the missing link for anyone interested in one of the most creative artistic circles of the early 20th century. Her personal relationships with Gertrude Stein, Alice B Toklas, Matisse, Picasso, and others illuminate the period, giving it freshness and immediacy as if we were there with her. Through her eyes we see how cultural giants lived their lives as mere mortals with great passion. This is a must-read.' ---- Leonard Pitt, author of Paris Postcards: The Golden Age

'With delightful wit and a rare insider's view, Harriet Lane Levy creates a compulsively readable portrait of the friendships, jealousies, and artistic brilliance of the Lost Generation of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and Alice B. Toklas. With Paris Portraits, Levy shows the artistic world of early 20th century Paris as it has never been revealed before.' ---- Frances Dinkelspiel, co-founder of Berkeleyside and author, Towers of Gold

About this edition

• Publisher: Heyday Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1597141577
• ISBN 13: 9781597141574
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 103