ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA LEMPICKA traces the life and adventures of renowned art deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, exploring the mysteries behind her self-created public image, secrets she kept and her complex legacy.
SYNOPSIS
THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA LEMPICKA is a visually stunning and sweeping feature documentary tracing the life and adventures of renowned art deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, as she reinvents herself and her image multiple times, rising from poverty to international stardom in 1920s Paris, fleeing fascism and moving to the United States in 1940, to her revival in the current art market where In 2020, her work sold at auction for over $21 million, the second highest amount ever paid for any female painter.
Tamara was a Polish aristocrat turned refugee by the Russian Revolution. As a young mother, Tamara lost everything, including her husband, who was thrown into prison by the Cheka police. He emerged a broken man and she had to become the breadwinner to support the family. At first, they were living off the jewelry she smuggled out of the country by sewing it into the hem of her clothing. Tamara needed more and decided to develop her skills in painting, eventually becoming one of the highest-selling modern female painters of all time.
Biographers and critics have called Tamara a liar and a self-serving woman who was loose with facts about her life. But seen in the light of her sexuality and the newly discovered fact that she was in fact Jewish, we now know that Tamara took not one but two secrets with her to the grave. Tamara was a woman who strategically walked the line between aristocracy and danger, to propel her career and protect herself and her family. The story of Tamara explores the themes of success, loss, seduction, fear, power, true genius and the will to survive. There have been stories told about Tamara, but the true story has been hidden until now.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Julie Rubio
SCREENWRITER Amy Harrison
PRODUCER Julie Rubio, Jennifer Wallace
CO-PRODUCER Neva Tassan
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Tasha Nesbit
CREATIVE PRODUCER Amy Harrison
WEBSITE tamaradoc.com
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