Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon was a French painter and the first woman admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Beginning as a circus acrobat and artists' model for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Degas, she taught herself to draw and paint. Known for her bold, unidealized nudes, vibrant still lifes, and strong compositions, she was the mother and teacher of Maurice Utrillo.