“Kiki Man Ray: Art, Love and Rivalry in 1920’s Paris” by Mark Braude
A quirky choice for my latest 2023 summer read: Kiki Man Ray: Art, Love and Rivalry in 1920s Paris by Mark Brad. The "Lost Generation” period in 1920s Paris fascinates me. It was a perfect storm created by a dramatic combination major historical changes and incredible creative energy. World War 1 killed millions and the 5 empires came to a violent and unanticipated end. The Spanish flu followed and killed millions more. America return to isolationism, Prohibition was enacted, eugenics was in vogue, anti-immigration legislation was passed and historically optimistic America became a darker place. The Treaty of Versailles peace that followed "The War to End all Wars" essentially guaranteed the outbreak of an even bloodier conflict 20 years later.
This series of shocks created a turbulent, exciting and rules breaking decade. Paris was its beating heart and de facto capital. Many young, energetic, frustrated American writers, artists and musicians settled in the "City of Light.” What happened there and why? Was it a time of genuine social progress or just a period of excess? Could it be re-created in modern times? Would we want a second act?
Kiki Man Ray was not previously on my radar screen. The superstars of 1920s Parisian culture were Picasso, Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, Stravinsky, Matisse, Joyce, the Fitzgeralds, Ezra Pound, Calder, Modigliani and Breton. Libraries and museums are filled with their work. So where does Kiki Man Ray, the Queen of Montparnasse enter this picture? Mark Braude brings her to life and ultimately it is a story that deserves to be told. Kiki never established an enduring international reputation, but she was a major local figure in this narrow window of dynamic experimentalism the 1920s Paris. Why?
Kiki's real name is Alice Prin. She was born in 1901 in Chatillon-Sud- Seine, 150 miles south east of Paris. Her mother was 18, poor, uneducated and unemployed. Her father was 28 and abandoned his parental role almost immediately. Her mother left for Paris to work as a factory laborer and Alice was raised by her grandmother. Her education was basic and short, attending a small village grammar school. Her prospects were poor. Upward mobility was not a notable characteristic of early 20th century France. There was no reason to predict a life of fame or fortune for Alice Prin. Flashing early signs of a lifelong independent streak, she departed for Paris in early teens. She initially work odd jobs, lived in a depressing rooming house and began her Parisian stay with no contacts, friends or funds. However, she made a wise choice by settling in Montparnasse, the neighborhood emerging as a magnet for Bohemians and freethinkers of all stripes. African-American jazz musicians, Russian émigrés with the love of ballet, new world architects, fashion revolutionaries, starving but talented artists, penniless but talented writers –all made Montparnasse their home. A heady mix of personalities which fostered radical change in social mores, politics and culture. Alice paid attention! She read the one page daily local newsletter promoting the next exhibit, the next concert or the opening of the next hot club. She changed her name to Kiki because it sounded modern and artistic. She boldly introduced herself to artists and became expert at stealth entry into popular dance halls and music clubs, including the most important Cafe Rotonde. She was an early networker and influencer. She formed and built relationships. She formed alliances. She flirted outrageously. She was cute and her female charms paid dividends.
Her social progress was only possible because Montparnasse rejected any form of social hierarchy. No aristocrat/servant dichotomy here. Interactions between disparate personalities created remarkable relationships, most of which would have been impossible in the pre-war Victorian era. Many people of character and talent would never have crossed paths if they had not chosen to live in this particular place at this particular time. Montparnasse was multiethnic, a mini United Nations. Cosmopolitan, not parochial. There was more racial tolerance and public acceptance of homosexuals. Women had the opportunity develop an identity outside the traditional parameters of the nuclear family.
Kiki was tailor made for this environment. She convinced emerging artists to employ her as their primary model. She posed nude. Kistler, Torjita and Man Ray featured her in original works and ground breaking photographs. She also became a cabaret performer, singing late nite ballads at the Jockey Club, Le Dome, Rotonde and La Coupole. She was a fast learner, began to paint and eventually sold out multiple private gallery shows. She was cast in early short films and her notoriety and name recognition made her popular with serious collectors. At 30, she wrote an autobiography and convinced Ernest Hemingway to write the introductory tribute, the only time he ever agreed to do so for another writer. She convinced her publisher to distribute the book in America and received a strong pre-release reviews in the New Yorker. Unfortunately, the US Customs Service had a very puritanical leader ship and confiscated the entire shipment of Kiki's book on the grounds that it was pornographic and an affront to public morals. Indeed, the book did include explicit nude photos of Kiki in a wide variety of unrestrained poses. The uproar in America over her immorality made her even more popular in Paris. Hemingway unilaterally appointed her the ”Queen of Montparnasse.”
Kiki treated life as a work of art. In modern terms, she has elements in common with reality stars, although she is far more interesting that Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton or any female contestant on The Bachelorette. She had a unique and winning persona, with a sad undercurrent. She was self-destructive, addicted to alcohol and cocaine. She was Man Ray’s companion and muse for 10 years but they never married. Man Ray, the brilliant and eccentric founder of contemporary photography, never truly comes alive in this book. The relationship between Man Ray and Kiki was volatile. Man Ray, a thoroughly modern cultural icon, was rather traditional in his view of male-female roles. He pursued other partners and sexual fidelity was not a noticeable component of 1920s Paris, but he insisted she remain faithful to him. Domestic duties where her bailiwick. She assisted him greatly in his work, but received no public credit from him. Eventually, he moved out when she gained weight and began to lose her appearance. It is a sad relationship, although she kept his name the balance of her life. Overall the book does show the darker shades of the Montparnasse Renaissance. Suicide, drug abuse, nervous breakdowns, infidelity, disloyalty, financial ruin, are an intrinsic part of the community fabric. Bored Americans, frequently wealthy, move in and out of the story and generally fail to impress. Sadly, Kiki died at 52 and ultimately didn't even warrant a place at Montparnasse cemetery since none of her old ”friends“ agreed to pick up the tab. A limited thumbs up - interesting take on a forgotten figure - not the best book out there though.
