For New Year’s, one of my best friends from college, August, came to stay with my roommates and me. We all went to Bryn Mawr together, and August is currently in grad school in Washington, D.C., studying art history. While the distance from Philly to D.C. is not insurmountable, we definitely don’t see each other as often as we’d like, and nowhere near as often as we used to in college, so it was nice for all of us to be together again.

Since August is an art history buff, we like to go to museums together, and this time we decided on The Barnes Museum, which I have been to a few times and enjoyed. August was interested in its current exhibition, Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris, only one until Jan. 21, so I’m really glad we took advantage and got to see it before it gets taken down.

I am no art historian as August is, so The Barnes is one of my favorite museums because it is so digestible. It’s also filled to the brim with Impressionism, which is probably my favorite art style (yes, I am basic). On top of enjoying the usual Monets, Renoirs and Cézannes of The Barnes, I found myself blown away by the Marie Laurencin exhibit.

I had never heard of Laurencin before, but she may now be one of my favorite artists. She mostly painted women and animals, imagining a world free from (or, at least, less plagued by) patriarchy. From what I learned in the exhibit, Laurencin was a fascinating woman who moved through many different worlds and art styles. She was a major figure of early-20th-century Paris, defining the 1920s with her recognizable style. She used pastels and soft brush strokes, making her female figures appear wraith-like and mysterious.

I will always be ready to become a fan of an underappreciated female artist or writer who was ahead of her time, and Laurencin is no exception. Her paintings are completely enchanting, and if you can’t make it to The Barnes before Jan. 21 (I know I didn’t give you much time!), I’d highly encourage you to look up Laurencin and her art.

— Hannah Gruen, administrative coordinator