Dancer, Art Figure. She was one of the most famous French dancers from the period between the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and World War I, that was known as the "Belle Époque". Of aristocratic origin, she was born from the brief relationship between the baroness Vincentia de Mérode, court lady of the empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, and the Greek-Macedonian Theodor Christomannos, the magistrate and climber, who built the famous "Road of the Dolomites". After studying at the Paris Opéra school, Cléo gained first national, then international fame for both her dancing performances, and her looks and appearance. Her way of combing and dressing soon influenced the fashion of the time. At the peak of her career she performed dancing shows in both Europe and the United States to packed performance houses. Her beauty enamored a number of well know artists of the time period, and her portrait was painted by art figures such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas and Giovanni Boldini. Additionally, sculptor Alexandre Falguière based his work "The Dancer" on her. Furthermore, she was photographed by a number of famous portrait photographers of the era, such as Gaspard-Félix ("Nadar") Tournachon and Charles Ogerau. Much talked about was her alleged secret relationship with King Leopold II of Belgium. The monarch had seen her dance at the theater in Verdi's opera Aida and fell in love with her. She was fifteen and he was sixty. Cleo danced well into her fifties, and published her autobiography "Le Ballet de ma vie" ("The Dance of My Life") in 1955. She had several love affairs but never married. She passed away at age ninety-one in Paris.
Dancer, Art Figure. She was one of the most famous French dancers from the period between the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and World War I, that was known as the "Belle Époque". Of aristocratic origin, she was born from the brief relationship between the baroness Vincentia de Mérode, court lady of the empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, and the Greek-Macedonian Theodor Christomannos, the magistrate and climber, who built the famous "Road of the Dolomites". After studying at the Paris Opéra school, Cléo gained first national, then international fame for both her dancing performances, and her looks and appearance. Her way of combing and dressing soon influenced the fashion of the time. At the peak of her career she performed dancing shows in both Europe and the United States to packed performance houses. Her beauty enamored a number of well know artists of the time period, and her portrait was painted by art figures such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas and Giovanni Boldini. Additionally, sculptor Alexandre Falguière based his work "The Dancer" on her. Furthermore, she was photographed by a number of famous portrait photographers of the era, such as Gaspard-Félix ("Nadar") Tournachon and Charles Ogerau. Much talked about was her alleged secret relationship with King Leopold II of Belgium. The monarch had seen her dance at the theater in Verdi's opera Aida and fell in love with her. She was fifteen and he was sixty. Cleo danced well into her fifties, and published her autobiography "Le Ballet de ma vie" ("The Dance of My Life") in 1955. She had several love affairs but never married. She passed away at age ninety-one in Paris.
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