A friend I’ve never called by his first name

I read Frederic Forest’s article about the Musée Rodin today, and I liked how he mentioned Rodin – as an imaginary friend who isn’t called by his first name.

And it made me think of others...

Monet, Caravaggio, Gaudí, Picasso, Vermeer, Dalí, Warhol... With most artists, we’re used to calling them by their last names. Sometimes we don't even remember their full names. And the same goes for their artworks. I didn’t go to see Sunset on the Seine at Lavacourt, Winter Effect, I went to see Monet.

"And which one of the Monets was it exactly?"

"Are there more than one?"

...Okey :) But we have to admit that there are a few exceptions. I went to see The Birth of Venus or Mona Lisa, right? These girls are so famous that people might forget the artist’s name for a moment.

Which brings me smoothly to the ladies' point of view. Frida, Hilma, Tamara de Lempicka, Marina Abramović, Georgia O'Keeffe, Malika Favre... this rule doesn’t apply to women. Usually, we learn their first name first.

On the one hand, it feels more intimate – that relationship you have with the artist. Sometimes you might even know their stories better than their actual artworks, right?

On the other hand, how long would it take to name as many women artists as we can name men artists?

Exactly!

And here's the hidden trouble and the reason behind it all...

But no, this is a story for another time. My friends, whom I call by their first names, forgive me for now.

With love, M.

Musée Rodin, Paris, France