A Cultural Arbiter

Igniting the inspiration of
cultural lights such as Marcel
Proust, Claude Monet, Pierre-
Auguste Renoir, Sergi Diaghilev,
Marcel Proust and Toulouse-
Lautrec, the trained pianist of
Polish descend, Maria Zofia
Olga Zenajda Godebska (1872 –
1950), was a cultural arbiter,
muse and talent magnet. While
hosting an artistic salon in Paris,
she was recognized as a much
revered top-dog, just like the
writer Paul Morand described
her as a "collector of geniuses,
all of them in love with her ...
You had to be gifted before
Misia wanted to know you."
Her Parisian all-star-team
consisted of the movers and
shakers of the artistic scene
and the upper echelons of
society in which the couturière
Coco Chanel played an
important part. It is said that
the two personalities
extraordinaire – after
experiencing an immediate
bond à la kindred souls –
lived an enduring and
profound association. Coco's
genius, fatal wit, sarcasm and
maniacal destructiveness –
which intrigued and also
appalled their mutual pals –
were characteristics that
impressed the socialite and
pianist.
Marcel Proust used Misia as
the prototype for diverse
characters of his romans,
Sergi Diaghilev involved her
in all creative aspects of the
Ballet Russes, and, while
being the muse and symbol of
La Revue blanche, she appeared
in advertising posters created
by Toulouse-Lautrec, Édouard
Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.