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From "Kiki's Memoirs" by Kiki de Montparnasse

MY CHILDHOOD IN BURGUNDY

I was born October 2, 1901, in Burgundy.

My mother traipsed off to Paris, leaving me with my grandmother, who now found herself with half a dozen youngsters on her hands--her three daughters had made her a present of the job of bringing them up. . . . We were six little love-babies, our fathers having overlooked the little matter of acknowledging us, and my mother sent five francs a month to pay for my board.

When I was five or six years old, they put me in the day-nursery. I remember, they gave me soup with bread in it to eat there. In the yard, there was a big bench, very long and very low. I used to hike up my dress and sit down on it. I had a little playmate who was eight. His name was Henri, and he had long dark hair that fell down to his shoulders. I thought he was simply grand, because my own head was always peeled like a boy's.

This saved my grandmother a lot of work. My five cousins, both the boys and the girls, were peeled like me, and they used to run a scrub-brush over our heads to get the cooties out (which didn't keep me from having plenty of 'em just the same).

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WARNING: this video contains slight but not explicit nudity.
It is for the sake of art. If it offends you, I'm sorry! Thank you.

A film of Kiki photographed by Man Ray and Fernand Leger.

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Kiki as photographed by Man Ray. This is one of the most famous portraits that Man Ray captured of Kiki during their love affair which lasted nearly a decade.

It is titled "Les Violins d'Ingres".

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Kiki at an artist's ball in May 1929. Henri Broca is the man standing behind Kiki. He was a journalist and caricaturist from Bordeaux who helped Kiki to become famous. He helped Kiki finish the manuscript of her memoirs and published the first chapters in his magazine.

Bonjour, Mes Amies!

Bonjour, mon cher!
Je m'appele Kiki de Montparnasse! Oh excuse me, you speak English? Well, My name is Kiki. I was born in Eastern France, so it is only instinct for me to speak French. I am an artist, model, and a lover of social events. In addition, I sing in nightclubs, act, paint, and write. What can I say? I love the liberated culture of Paris! I was born in October of 1901, called Alice Prin, but what a boring name! I had to change it, right away. So many exciting things have filled my life- I worked in bakeries and shops as a teenager, but by the time I was fourteen, I was posing nude for sculptors! Let's just say, my mother wasn't very happy with me. Since then I have posed for many artists, like Alexander Calder and the ever talented Man Ray. I am the Queen of Montparnasse! Au revoir!
- LS 7