Born in Rome in 1874 to American parents and married to pianist John Ellington Brooks, Beatrice Romaine Goddard was one of the most representative figures of the artistic scene of the 1920s, part of that intellectual world that divided its time between Paris, the melting pot of new trends, Capri, an artistic and cultural workshop en plein air, and Venice, a unique setting. Writers, poets, painters, courtesans and “restless spirits” here forged friendships and relations that were frequently beyond the norms of convention.

Brooks used to frequent individuals like Jean Cocteau, Renata Borgatti, the marchesa Casati and Gabriele d’Annunzio, and psychological and sexual ambiguity became defining aspects of her life. Linked simultaneously with writer Nathalie Clifford Barney and actress Ida Rubinstein – who was the model for many of her paintings – the American artist also had an intense affair with d’Annunzio, whom she immortalised in two famous portraits, executed in her typical style of grey tones. After the major show dedicated to the marchesa Casati Stampa, Palazzo Fortuny returns to the female art world of those intense years.

Project by Daniela Ferretti

Curated by Jérôme Merceron