Marie Bashkirtseff at The Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris

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Marie Bashkirtseff was a talented Ukrainian diarist, painter, and sculptor who left an indelible mark on the art world. From around age 13, she kept a journal that would eventually become her most lasting legacy. This remarkable journal has been hailed as "a strikingly modern psychological self-portrait of a young, gifted mind," with urgent prose that remains refreshingly readable today. Bashkirtseff was multilingual and possessed an acute ear for hypocrisy, making her journal a near-novelistic account of the late 19th century European bourgeoisie. Throughout her journal, a consistent theme emerges: her deep desire to achieve fame, tempered by her growing fear that her intermittent illnesses might be tuberculosis. In a poignant prefatory section written towards the end of her life, she recounts her family history, stating, "If I do not die young, I hope to live as great artist; but if I die young, I intend to have my journal, which cannot fail to be interesting, published." Similarly, she writes, "When I am dead, my life, which appears to me a remarkable one, will be read. (The only thing wanting is that it should have been different)." In effect, the first half of Bashkirtseff's journal chronicles her coming-of-age story, while the second half is an account of heroic suffering. Her journal was first published in 1887, and its cosmopolitan confessional style was a marked departure from the contemplative, mystical diaries of Eugénie de Guérin that had been published two decades earlier. An English translation of Bashkirtseff's journal appeared two years later under the title Marie Bashkirtseff: The Journal of a Young Artist 1860-1884. Translated by Mary J. Serrano, it was heavily abridged and bowdlerized, with her relatives removing material that was unflattering to the family. British Prime Minister William Gladstone referred to it as "a book without a parallel," and George Bernard Shaw was an early admirer. Bashkirtseff's diary remained popular, eventually inspiring plays and movies based on her life story, including The Affairs of Maupassant, directed by Henry Koster and released in the United States in 1938. Her journal was cited as an inspiration by Mary MacLane, whose own shockingly confessional diary was written a generation later, and it was also mentioned as a model by later writers who became known for their diaries, including Pierre Louÿs, Katherine Mansfield, and Anais Nin. This marble bust of Marie Bashkirtseff was sculpted by Charles René de Paul de Saint-Marceaux, a French sculptor born in Reims. At age 18, he went to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he became primarily a sculptor of portrait busts and animals. He exhibited at the Paris salon from 1868, passing up the competition for the Prix de Rome to spend time in Florence instead. Saint-Marceaux passed a second sojourn in Italy in 1873-74. On his return, his marble Génie gardant le secret de la tombe ("Spirit Guarding the Secret of the Tomb"), conserved in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, shows the marked influence of Michelangelo. This object is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory that aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for public access. Scan the World is an open-source community effort, and if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.