MARIETTE LYDIS (1887-1970)
Portrait of Two Women. Oil on canvas. 550x450 mm; 21x18 inches. Signed and dated in oil, lower right recto. 1964.Provenance: Private collection, New York.Largely self-taught, Lydis did not dedicate herself to the visual arts until she was in her thirties. Upon moving to Paris in 1925, she gained access to the avant-garde circle of artists and gained commissions as an illustrator while growing her reputation as a painter and lithographer. With the onset on World War II, she sought refuge in Buenos Aires where she spent the majority of her remaining years.Lydis is known for her depictions celebrating lesbian and bisexual relationships. She personally lived as a bisexual, marrying three men throughout her life and spending her years in Buenos Aires with her partner Erica Marx.