Misia Sert was one of the most intriguing and influential women in\u00a0Belle \u00c9poque Paris<\/a>, a muse and confidant to many of the iconic artists and composers of the time. Marie Sophie Olga Z\u00e9na\u00efde Godebska (known by the Polish diminutive Misia) was born in 1872, in an estate just outside of Saint Petersburg. Her parents were the Polish sculptor\u00a0Cyprien Godebski<\/a>\u00a0and the Russian-Belgian cellist Sophie Servais, whose father was legendary Stradivarius-playing cellist\u00a0Adrien-Fran\u00e7ois Servais<\/a>. Marie Sophie Olga Z\u00e9na\u00efde Godebska (known by the Polish diminutive Misia) was born in 1872, in an estate just outside of Saint Petersburg. Her parents were the Polish sculptor\u00a0Cyprien Godebski<\/a>\u00a0and the Russian-Belgian cellist Sophie Servais, whose father was legendary Stradivarius-playing cellist\u00a0Adrien-Fran\u00e7ois Servais<\/a>.<\/p>\n After her mother had passed away in childbirth, Misia was sent to live with family in Brussels. There she became acquainted with piano music from family friend\u00a0Franz Liszt<\/a>; she later took piano lessons with\u00a0Gabriel Faur\u00e9<\/a> in Paris. Misia moved to Paris with her first husband, Tadeusz Natanson, founder of the literary and art magazine\u00a0La Revue Blanche<\/a><\/em>. There, Misia became the muse and the pivot of the artistic group associated with the magazine, including major authors like Proust and Mallarm\u00e9, and iconic artists such as Monet and Renoir. Seeking funding for\u00a0La Revue Blanche<\/em>, Natanson approached newspaper magnate Alfred Edwards, whom she was having an affair with. Edwards agreed to fund\u00a0La Revue Blanche<\/em> on the condition that he and Misia got married. Thus, Edwards became Misia\u2019s second husband but this marriage \u2013 like her third to Catalan painter Jos\u00e9 Maria Sert \u2013 ended in infidelity and divorce.<\/p>\n Misia was an influential member of a vibrant Parisian milieu involving artists, musicians, composers, designers and writers. Her lifelong confidant Maurice Ravel dedicated several compositions to her. Misia was the business partner, artistic touchstone and best friend of Serge de Diaghilev \u2013 founder and impresario of the\u00a0Ballets Russes<\/a>. Contemporary artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec,\u00a0Renoir<\/a>, Vuillard and Valloton all portrayed Misia. Proust called her “a monument of history” and transfigured her complex personality into two female protagonists in\u00a0A la recherche du temps perdu<\/em>: the manipulative Madame Verdurin and her inseparable friend, Princesse Yourbeletieff. Jean Cocteau devoted his\u00a0Thomas l’lmposteur<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Les Monstres sacr\u00e9s<\/em>\u00a0to Misia, and she was good friends with\u00a0Coco Chanel<\/a>, bonding through the tragedies in their lives. Chanel and Misia travelled to the United States together, exploring the art scene and the nightlife. Amidst this extraordinary company, Misia carried herself with style, charm and wit…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"