Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) Was, With Calder, Noguchi And David Smith, One Of The Great American Sculptors Of The 20th Century. She Created Extraordinary Work, From Room-size Installations Composed Of Boxes To Gnarled And Majestic Steel Structures. Her Life Story Is No Less Interesting. She Was Born In Czarist Russia, But Her Family Emigrated To The States And She Grew Up In Maine. Nevelson Endured A Repressive Marriage To A New York Millionaire, Whom She Escaped To Pursue The Life Of An Artist. She Gained Recognition As An Abstract Sculptor At The Age Of 59, And Spent The Next 30 Years Taking The Art World By Storm, Becoming A Colourful New York Personality And Minor Celebrity. Laurie Wilson, Who Knew Nevelson Personally, Draws Extensively On Her Own Research In This Crisp New Biography. She Conducted Interviews Not Just With Nevelson But With Her Siblings, Son, And Gallery Owner Arne Glimcher. Wilson Has Also Had Complete Access To Glimcher's Archives, Nevelson's Personal Assistant, Diana Mackown, And Lippincott Studios, Where Much Of Nevelson's Work Was Cast, Among Others. In 1929, Louise Nevelson Was A Disappointed Housewife With A Young Son, Surrounded By New York's Vibrant Artistic Community But Unable To Fully Engage With It. By 1950, She Was An Artist Living On Her Own, Financially Dependent On Her Family, But She Had Received A Glimmer Of Recognition From The Establishment: Inclusion In A Group Show At The Whitney Museum Of American Art. In 1980, Nevelson Celebrated Her Second Whitney Retrospective. Her Work Was Held In Public Collections Around The World; Her Massive Steel Sculptures Appeared In Public Spaces In Seventeen States, Including The Louise Nevelson Plaza In New York City's Financial District. The Story Of Nevelson's Artistic, Spiritual, Even Physical Transformation (she Developed A Taste For Outrageous Outfits And False Eyelashes Made Of Mink) Is Dramatic, Complex, And Inseparable From Major Historical And Cultural Shifts Of The Twentieth Century, Particularly In The Art World. Art Historian And Psychoanalyst Laurie Wilson Brings A Unique And Sensitive Perspective To Nevelson's Story, Drawing On Hours Of Interviews She Conducted With Nevelson And Her Circle. Over 100 Images, Many Of Them Drawn From Personal Archives And Never Before Published, Make This The Most Visually And Narratively Comprehensive Biography Of This Remarkable Artist Yet Published.--publisher's Description. Russian Roots 1899-1905 -- Rockland Childhood 1905-1918 -- Marriage And Motherhood 1920-1929 -- Art At Last 1929-1934 -- The Beginning Of Sculpture 1934-1940 -- Surrealism 1940-1946 -- Death And Restoration 1946-1953 -- A Forgotten Village 1954-1957 -- Moon Garden Breakthrough 1957-1960 -- Glittering Glory 1960-1962 -- Icarus 1962-1963 -- Architect Of Reflection 1964-1966 -- Empress Of The Environment 1966-1968 -- Mistress Of Transformation 1969-1971 -- La Signora Of Spring Street 1972-1974 -- Large Scale 1975-1976 -- The Nevelson 1967-1988 -- The Chapel And The Palace 1977-1979 -- A Big Birthday 1980-1985 -- The End 1985-1988. Laurie Wilson. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 431-490) And Index.

Categories:

• Arts & Photography
  
  
  • Sculpture
    • Appreciation