Marchesa Casati by Man Ray

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I’ve only just discovered this photo of Marchesa Luisa Casati by  Man Ray taken in 1935. The fascinating Marchesa Luisa Casati—a woman who turned life into theater, making herself the central event. A self-proclaimed “living work of art,” she transformed public spaces into her stage, captivating everyone who crossed her path.

Born into immense wealth, Luisa Adele Rosa Maria Amman lost both parents by the time she was 15, inheriting a fortune that made her one of Italy’s richest women. In 1900, she married Camillo, Marchese Casati Stampa di Soncino, but their marriage was unconventional—they lived apart and eventually separated in 1914.

But Casati’s real legacy wasn’t in titles or tradition. She was a patron of the arts, a legendary hostess, and a fearless fashion eccentric. Draped in Fortuny pleats, Poiret harem pants, and Erté’s beaded creations, she embraced the avant-garde. With kohl-rimmed eyes, flaming red hair, and chalk-white skin, she paraded through Venice and Paris, often accompanied by exotic animals—leashed cheetahs, a boa constrictor, and even a monkey.

Artists adored her. She was immortalized by Boldini, Beaton, Cocteau, Man Ray, and more. Writers, including her lover Gabriele D’Annunzio, found inspiration in her enigmatic presence. Even decades later, designers like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and Karl Lagerfeld have drawn from her mystique. Her influence lives on — not just in paintings or fashion but in the very idea of self as invention, as performance, as center of life.