Pink Collar Workers: Lydia Delectorskaya

Lydia Delectorskaya (1910-1998) became the final muse for the celebrated French modernist painter Henri Matisse. 

This month, we’re bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We’ll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that have traditionally been called "women's work." Through their lives, they created a more just and humane world for us today.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Before we get started with today's episode, I want to
let you know that it contains mentions of suicide. Hello
from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
This August, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica
episodes you might have missed. All month, we'll be talking
about pink collar workers. These women revolutionized jobs that have
traditionally been called women's work. Through their lives, they created

(00:24):
a more just and humane world for us Today. With that,
here's one of our favorite episodes. Hello from Wonder Media Network.
I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica. This month, we're
talking about muses, women who are drivers of creativity and inspiration.

(00:44):
Today we're talking about a woman who was the final
muse for celebrated French modernist painter Henri Matisse. Let's talk
about Lydia de Lektreskaya. Lydia Delectorskaya was born in Thoms,
Russia in nineteen ten. She fled her homeland during the

(01:07):
Russian Revolution and settled in Harbane, China, a safe haven
for Soviet refugees. When Lydia was twelve years old, both
of her parents died, and she spent the rest of
her childhood, living with her aunt. At the age of twenty,
she married a much older man and the couple moved
to Paris. The marriage ended after just a year. Lydia

(01:29):
was well educated and wanted to be a doctor like
her father had been, but her divorce left her almost penniless.
She briefly studied medicine at the Sorbonne in Paris, but
soon couldn't afford the tuition. During her next equally disastrous relationship,
Lydia moved to Nice in nineteen thirty two, for she
bounced between jobs as a film extra, model and dancer.

(01:53):
Matisse was also living and working in Nice, and Lydia
responded to an ad to be the aging artist's temporary assistant.
While Lydia was working for Matisse, his wife became ill
and Matise asked Lydia to stay on as her caretaker.
At first, Matise overlooked Lydia as a potential muse. She

(02:14):
wasn't like the dark haired, olive skinned models he typically painted.
Matisse later called the blonde and blue eyed Lydia snow Queen,
But one day he noticed Lydia daydreaming with her head
lying on crossed arms. Her relaxed pose captivated Matisse, and
the artist quickly began the first of hundreds of sketches
of Lydia. Soon, Lydia became Matis's favorite artistic inspiration. In

(02:40):
nineteen thirty five, Lydia began sitting for a new Matise painting.
For six months, she posed for hours every day as
Matis crafted his famous work, The Pink Nude. Art historians
estimate that Lydia is depicted in more than ninety Matisse paintings.
But Lydia wasn't just Matisa's model. As time wore on,

(03:01):
she began to take on more responsibilities and was soon
running his entire studio. She became vital to Matisa's daily routine,
and Mattisa's wife took notice. Mattisa's family didn't like Lydia,
and many assumed the two were entangled in a romantic affair,
but Lydia and Matisse always denied being lovers. Mattisa's wife

(03:22):
didn't care. Lydia later said, Madame wanted me to leave,
not from female jealousy. There was no question of adultery,
but because I was running the whole house. Eventually, Mattisa's
wife gave him an ultimatum. Me or her. Matis protested
but still fired Lydia. Lydia was heartbroken over losing the

(03:43):
only job she'd ever truly loved. Lydia tried to commit
suicide by aiming a gun at her chest, but the
bullet miraculously bounced off her breastbone and she survived. Even
with Lydia out of the picture, Madame Matis wasn't satisfied.
She filed for divorce. In nineteen thirty nine. Matis promptly

(04:04):
hired Lydia once again. As he grew old and frail.
Lydia cared for Matis through bouts of asthma and arthritis
and a battle with cancer. When France was occupied during
World War II, Lydia made sure Matis stayed warm through
frigid winters and always had enough food. She took boxing
lessons to protect herself from learing soldiers as she trudged

(04:24):
through the streets, tending to the painter's personal and business affairs.
Throughout their partnership, Matisse marveled at Lydia's work, ethic, and resourcefulness.
He once joked that he wouldn't be surprised to discover
Lydia knew how to fly an airplane. Matis expressed his
gratitude by gifting Lydia original sketches twice a year. She

(04:45):
also spent a huge portion of her wages buying more
work from the painter, who she admired above all other artists.
She argued that she should pay the same price as
any other collector. In Matisa's final years, Lydia helped him
complete his final work, including the colored paper cutouts, now
regarded as one of his most brilliant artistic innovations. Matisse

(05:06):
sketched Lydia for the last time the day before his death.
As he finished the piece, he said it will do.
Matis died on November third, nineteen fifty four. His family
still resented Lydia and she didn't attend his funeral. For
the rest of Lydia's life, she dedicated herself to growing
Matisa's legacy as one of the greatest painters of the

(05:26):
twentieth century. She published two large volumes on his work
and loaned the art she owned to galleries and museums.
She wanted her fellow Russians to know and appreciate Matisa's genius,
and she is largely responsible for the collection of Mattis's
paintings that exist in Russia today. Lydia took her own
life in nineteen ninety eight, when she was eighty seven

(05:48):
years old. She was buried first in France and then
in Russia near Saint Petersburg. Both of Lydia's gravestones were
inscribed with a quote often attributed to Pablo Picasso, reserved
her beauty for eternity. All month long, we've honored pink
collar workers with our favorite Womanica episodes. Join us on

(06:10):
Monday for the beginning of a brand new theme. Talk
to you then,