Lisa Fonssagrives: The First Supermodel as Artist and Athlete

Lisa Fonssagrives, born Lisa Birgitta Bernstone in Sweden in 1911, is celebrated as the first top model in history. She was also a photographer, sculptor, and sportswoman. Recently honored with a monograph by Skira and a spring exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, thanks to a donation of 150 vintage prints by her son Tom Penn, Fonssagrives graced nearly 200 magazine covers from 1935 to 1955. She collaborated with photographers Fernand Fonssagrives, Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon. Trained in dance under Mary Wigman in Berlin, she studied portrait painting at the Louvre. Beyond modeling, she created art and sportswear, supported female photographers like Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Lillian Bassman, and famously posed for the iconic "Vogue" letter cover in 1940. Her athleticism included skiing, driving, and parachuting. Alexander Liberman called her "an artist." The article is part of an A-to-Z series for the Paris 2024 Olympics.