Caresse and Clytoris

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‘Caresse and Clytoris’
Never no

Acrylics on linen
Size painting: 30 cm (w) x 20 cm (h)
Artist: Jitske Schols
Year of production: 2022
Home made frame by artist, as displayed
Signed
Shipping: worldwide shipping
Additional art shipping costs will be charged upon checkout. Free pickup at atelier artist in Amsterdam.

After meeting her second husband Harry, he persuaded Mary Phelps Jacob (or ‘Polly’ for friends) to formally change her first name as it didn’t fit their glamorous and luxurious lifestyle any longer. They briefly considered Clytoris before deciding on Caresse. Clytoris became the name of one of the whippets they owned.

‘Never no’ was the motto of Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; April 20, 1892 – January 24, 1970) and is the title of a series of paintings inspired by her life. She was the inventor of the modern bra, but somehow that was only a minor detail in her extravagant life. She was a notorious figure in 1920s Paris, embracing the bohemian life with indulgences like booze, opium and wild parties. She was the patron to the literary Lost Generation, moved in the highest artistic circles (Dali, Picasso), owned a castle, but unfortunately her story has been largely forgotten.