French, b. 1883, Paris, France — d. 1956, Paris, France

Marie Laurencin was a French artist and designer known for her Cubist paintings and sculpture. In primarily in a palette of muted tones in grey, pink and pastels, Laurencin’s delicate portraits focused on those of young women and animals. Known as one of the few female cubists, she was closely associated with French avant-gardists in the Section d’Or movement, such as Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Francis Picabia and others.

In works including paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints, Laurencin developed a unique approach to abstraction that often centered on the representation of female portraits and groups of women. Her work lies outside the bounds of Cubist norms in her pursuit of a specifically feminine aesthetic and her use of pastel colors and curvilinear forms.

Marie Laurencin’s paintings are in art museums throughout the world. In 1983, on the 100th anniversary of her birthday, the Musée Marie Laurencin opened in Nagano, Japan.