The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival is a visually stunning and sweeping feature documentary that traces the life and survival of the renowned painter through her powerful paintings - from her rise to international stardom in 1920s Paris, to her move to the United States in 1940, fleeing the rise of fascism, and her revival in the current art market. Tamara de Lempicka was the preeminent Art Deco painter, known for her high-gloss sensual nudes and portraits of high society during the Jazz Age. She was marginalized and gained notoriety for her romantic liaisons with her models and her indulgent, decadent lifestyle, but she was so much more. The film follows this remarkable émigrée as she reinvents herself multiple times, looking behind the veneer of the publicity she generated for herself and examining the bisexual Jewish artist who embodied talent, resilience, passion, and the relentless pursuit of artistic freedom. Told through her never-before-seen 8mm home movies and groundbreaking newly-discovered birth and baptism certificates, our film reveals her true name, heritage, and identity for the first time and will change art history
Directed by Julie Rubio. (Color, 2025, USA, 96 minutes, not rated) Featuring Victoria de Lempicka, Marisa de Lempicka, Cristina de Lempicka, Paula Birnbaum, Eden Espinosa, Rowland Weinstein.
