On Collections: France-Lise McGurn on Tamara de Lempicka

October 2020
Episode 8
France-Lise McGurn on Tamara de Lempicka
19:03
Soft pencil drawing of a half-naked women lying on a beach.

Tamara de Lempicka, Sur La Plage (On the Beach), c.1926

Courtesy the David and Indrė Roberts Collection

Glasgow-based artist France-Lise McGurn has chosen to talk about Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka's drawing Sur La Plage, made circa 1926. This drawing from the David and Indrė Roberts Collection becomes the basis for a conversation that touches on the female nude, Madonna videos and cigarette packets.

This is a new series of conversations as part of our Podcast series, which will open up the David and Indrė Roberts Collection through artists' encounters with works in the collection.

France-Lise McGurn sat posing in front one of her large paintings

France-Lise McGurn in front of her work

Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery, London Photo: Matthew Arthur Williams

France-Lise McGurn

The Scottish artist France-Lise McGurn paints on canvases as well as directly on the walls of exhibition spaces, often combining the two to create an immersive experience. In her work she draws on a collected archive of images from films, club flyers and magazines, as well as her own experiences, ranging from life in a city, partying and dreams to motherhood and female sexuality.

Podcasts

The Roberts Institute of Art Podcasts are a place to explore, reimagine and exchange ideas through conversations. We invite artists, cultural practitioners and other thinkers to discuss themes connected to our programme.

Tamara de Lempicka

Tamara Łempicka, better known as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who spent her working life in France and the United States. She is best known for her polished Art Deco portraits of aristocrats and the wealthy, and for her highly stylized paintings of nudes.

(X) A Fantasy

at DRAF, Camden

Roberts Institute of Art

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Artist Jonathan Baldock wears a black baseball cap and apron, whilst working on a big baby pink ceramic with a brush. He is stood in a studio with other ceramics and tools on a big wooden table.