Tamara de Lempicka

Kizette de Lempicka Foxhall (the artist's daughter) 
A gift from the above in 1981

Alain Blondel, Tamara de Lempicka, Catalogue raisonné, 1921-1979, Lausanne, 1999, no. B. 519, illustrated in color p. 425

Numbered 207S on the edge of the canvas, possibly by the artist's hand. There is a yellowed varnish on the surface of the painting. The work would benefit from a light cleaning to remove the varnish and light surface stains. There are some scattered minor abrasions, most notable in the upper right quadrant in the background, that appear to be intrinsic to the work. Under UV light, the heavy varnish and original pigments fluoresce, but there is no apparent inpainting.
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Painted in 1979, Saint Antoine III was one of the last canvases painted by Lempicka. The subject was a powerful symbol of salvation for the artist, who began painting images of the ascetic figure while undergoing profound personal changes in the mid-1930's. In fact, her earliest depictions of the subject were portraits of her psychiatrist in the guise of St. Anthony. According to the present owner, who met and befriended Lempicka when she lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico in the 1970s, Lempicka would spend her time reproducing, in a smaller format, some of her previous compositions, such as St. Anthony. 

The present work is a testament to the range in Lempicka’s artistic ability. Shifting away from the modernity of her earlier paintings, the restrained palette and relaxed brushwork effectively convey the piety of the subject and evoke a tranquility unique to Saint Antoine III.