Kiki in Motion

Kiki de Montparnasse caught grinning on film by Fernand Léger.

Kiki de Montparnasse, Man Ray‘s famously saucy lady muse, plays a big role in Encyclopedia of the Exquisite. I was thinking of her today and came across this great, short compilation of archival black and white film footage of Kiki—shot by Man Ray and by Fernand Léger. I always think of her as quiet and still, posing serenely for Man’s sensuous photographs. But you get a real sense of the table dancing, wine drinking, crooked grinning woman when seeing her in motion. And, as discussed in the book, you can check out her intense makeup, including that deep red lipstick. And her close cropped bob. And see her doing a series of poses that remind me of those performed in the 19th century by Emma Hamilton, another Encyclopedia grande dame.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UijAIzByE[/youtube]