Seated Female Nude (first third 1900s) by Suzanne Valadon (French, 1865-1938)The Cleveland Museum of Art
A good muse can turn a good painting into a spectacular one. However, these inspirational models rarely get the recognition they deserve. To help put this right, we’re lifting the canvas and taking a look at the real women behind famous paintings.
Two Japanese Wrestlers by a Sink (1983) by Lucian FreudOriginal Source: The Art Institute of Chicago
Sue Tilley
Sue Tilley is one of the most famous models of the 20th century. During the 1990s, she regularly posed naked for British artist Lucian Freud. The images he created featuring Tilley are now some of his most recognized and most expensive.
Interior at Paddington (first exhibited 1951) by Lucian FreudNational Museums Liverpool
Also known as ‘Big Sue’, Tilley was a performance artist before meeting Freud in 1990. She was also a full time benefits supervisor. Altogether, Freud painted 5 images of Tilley. The most famous of which, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, was sold at auction in 2008 for £17 million.
Ophelia (Around 1851) by Sir John Everett MillaisTate Britain
Elizabeth Siddall
An artist and poet in her own right, Elizabeth Siddall was immortalized in the early 1850s when she posed for John Everett Millais. Pre-Raphaelite painter Millais used her as the model for Ophelia, one of his most famous works.
In order to create the image, Millais had Siddall lie in a bathtub full of water. On one occasion, the oil lamps heating the water went out and the bath became icy cold. Siddall caught pneumonia as a result and Millais was forced by Siddall's father to pay her medical bills.
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) by Eduard ManetThe Courtauld Institute of Art
Suzon
Suzon stares out from one the best known paintings of the 19th century, Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. Painted in 1882, it depicts a scene in a popular Parisian nightclub and features a woman who actually worked at the establishment.
Though Suzon was employed at the club, Manet painted her in his studio. Her expression seems bored, or even sad and her stance a little defensive. By placing a bowl of oranges in front of her, Manet is suggesting she’s a prostitute, something the Folies-Bergère was known for.
Ingres’s Violin (1924) by Man RayOscar Niemeyer Museum
Alice Prin
Born in 1901, Alice Prin was nicknamed the 'Queen of Montparnasse' and was often known as Kiki. Prin began modelling at the age of 14 and turned to the profession full time when her mother accused her of being a prostitute and kicked her out of the house.
Prin posed for a large number of artists including Julien Mandel, Tsuguharu Foujita, Constant Detré and Jean Cocteau. She’s best known for her work with American visual artist Man Ray, and was the subject of Le Violon d'Ingres (Ingres' Violin) his most famous work.
Young Girls (1932) by Amrita Sher-GilNational Gallery of Modern Art
Indira Sher-Gil
The Hungarian-Indian painter, Amrita Sher-Gil, often painted friends and relatives in her portraits of the 1930s and 40s. Her sister, Indira, appears in a number of these vivid paintings, like this one, which won Amrita an associate membership at Paris's Grand Salon in 1933.
When her sister moved to Paris to study painting, Indira joined her and enrolled at the prestigious Alfred Cortot school of music, where she learned piano. During this time, she posed in some of Amrita's most memorable works, including Young Girls (1933) and Nude (1933).
La Pedicure by Suzanne ValadonBoca Raton Museum of Art
Learn more about inspiring women in culture here.
