As was so often the case with women back in the day, Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938) was a muse before she became an artist. A popular model among the painters of Montmartre, she was for two years the lover of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. While posing, Valadon watched the painters and their techniques. Eventually, Renoir found her working on a self-portrait. Degas became her main supporter, helping her move from model to artist. Valadon’s subject matter never changed: she painted women, often nude, with a realism both brutal and beautiful. She was also the first female artist to paint a large-scale, full-frontal male nude. This exhibition of over 200 works covers Valadon’s life and work in five themed sections. —Elena Clavarino