Sonja Kovačić – Tajčević
Parisian Woman, 1928–1934
Oil on canvas/cardboard
61 × 44.5 cm
MG-3205

Sonja Kovačić – Tajčević (Bošnjaci, 1894 – Rijeka, 1968) was one of the first academically trained female artists in Croatia, active from the second decade of the 20th century. She graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1917 and continued her academic training in Graz and Vienna. In 1926, she undertook further studies in Paris, where, like many Croatian artists of the time, she studied under the renowned French painter André Lhote (Bordeaux, 1885 – Paris, 1962). She returned to Paris between 1928 and 1934, a period during which she created her most significant works, strongly influenced by Lhote’s academic Cubism.
Her painting Parisian Woman, produced during her stay in Paris, clearly reflects the influence of this style. The female figure, shown in a semi-profile, is rendered with a pronounced geometric stylisation, echoing the teachings of her French mentor. The woman’s body and the background are composed of soft, restrained planes that avoid the rigid fragmentation typical of Cubism, instead remaining gently modeled and rounded. Warm tones of pink, red, and brown dominate the composition, which radiates a refined sense of calm and poise.

Text: Luciana Fuks, Intern curator at the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb