Book description
Her story weaves in and out of time and place. She's Frida Kahlo, Lois Mailou Jones and Amrita Sher-Gil en route to Mexico City, Paris or Bombay. She's Suzanne Valadon and Gwen John, craving city lights, the sea and solitude; she's Artemisia Gentileschi striding through the streets of Naples and…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked The Mirror and the Palette as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Higgie uses a series of potted biographies to tell the story of a group of artists – women – who are largely undervalued by history.
I found her structuring approach inspiring. By grouping clusters of these life stories around themes rather than periods, she encouraged me to think about the psychology of why and how a woman chooses to paint herself.
I loved how each chapter begins with an introduction to a theme – smile, allegory, solitude, nakedness, etc. – before turning to the artists for whom that resonated. There are some fascinating stories here; tales of triumph and heartache,…
From Catherine's list on The best books on women artists.
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