Tamara de Lempicka, Kizette on the Balcony, 1927
Oil on canvas, 130 × 81 cm (51 1/8 × 31 7/8 in). Donated by the Artist to Centre Pompidou, Musée national d'art moderne, Paris
© 2025 Tamara de Lempicka Estate, LLC/ ADAGP, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Bathed in the glow of an unseen light, Kizette on the Balcony captures a poignant moment of transition—between childhood and adolescence, shelter and the unknown. The warm interior radiates a protective glow, while beyond the railing, the nocturnal cityscape swirls with unseen energy, a world brimming with mystery and foreboding. The interplay of light and shadow, safety and uncertainty, lends the composition a cinematic tension, as if the young girl is caught between two realms—one she knows, and one she is yet to discover.