Becoming Judy Chicago: A Biography of the Artist
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature
Becoming Judy Chicago: A Biography of the Artist Details
From Publishers Weekly With Judy Chicago, Levin (Edward Hopper) takes on a subject who has spent most of her career fighting for her place in a male-dominated and masculinized art world. As the title suggests, the book shows how the daughter of a radical Jewish Communist became the power behind The Dinner Party (1979), a work that forces women's history forward on women's terms, expressed through craft and female imagery. Often described as outspoken, confrontational, strong willed and difficult by even her closest colleagues and friends, Chicago carved a path for other women artists. She demanded that her students—all female—live and create a radically new and feminist movement in the arts. Levin captures Chicago's struggle with her emerging feminism in the context of her marriages, her art and her role as teacher and collaborator. Levin handles the complexity of Chicago's relationships with both men and women deftly, in a manner that exemplifies the issues many women have gone through as they attempted to stake their claim in a man's world. Although not an authorized biography, this was written with Chicago's aid. Hagiographic at times and sometimes burdened by its living and larger-than-life subject, the book is an enlightening look at this controversial artist and at feminist art in general. 16 pages of color photos, 15 b&w photos. (Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From Booklist *Starred Review* Judith Cohen, born in Chicago in 1939 to radical activists, legally changed her name to Judy Chicago in 1970 to liberate herself from the conventions of "male dominance" and to celebrate her female identity. This metamorphosis initiated her controversial and profoundly influential feminist art. Levin, author of a groundbreaking Edward Hopper biography, tells Chicago's complex, galvanizing story in conscientious detail without losing narrative drive, providing fresh and invaluable insights into the intense emotional, aesthetic, and political brouhaha provoked by Chicago's female genitalia imagery, grand collaborative projects elevating such traditional women's crafts as china painting and embroidery to fine-art status, and unabashed conviction that art has a moral imperative. Ambitious, outspoken, multitalented, and relentlessly hardworking, Chicago--author of two inspiring memoirs and the veteran of numerous painful relationships complicated by her artistic commitment and reformer's zeal--has had an enormous impact on art and society. Chicago's most infamous work, The Dinner Party,inally has a permanent home at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Levin's passionately researched, thoroughly analyzed, and deeply moving portrait-in-full presents Chicago as a courageous, tough, and innovative artist who, as catalyst and lightning rod, has illuminated the human condition. Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more Review “The factual, insightful but also miraculous story of a woman who is not only an individual but an energy field; an artist who is not only a creator but an organizer of communal creation. Without downplaying the pain and censure that comes with enlarging history by refusing to fit into it, Levin shows us the joy and permanence of Chicago's inclusive art that opens eyes, minds and hearts.”–Gloria Steinem“A landmark work…. painstakingly detailed, psychologically sophisticated, and constitutes a fair-minded–and therefore explosive--guide to the Art World, including the relationship between wealth, patronage, and artistic success and viability. Levin’s Chicago is a quintessentially American artist: Bold, ambitious, hungry for success, hugely innovative, both loved and envied (especially by other feminist women), and mocked by male artists. She is also a profoundly Jewish-American artist. Levin’s rich anecdotes and careful research allowed me to visit with many treasured friends, some still living, some dead, and to revisit the Second Wave feminist art movement that I knew and still treasure. –Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D, author of Women and Madness“A vivid and compelling biography of Judy Chicago, as well as a colorful narrative of the artist’s struggles to create a feminist art and to transform the lives of woman artists in an art world hostile to their endeavors. It is a balanced and sympathetic account, richly documented, of the personal and professional obstacles Chicago had to deal with and overcome, as well as a superb critical study of Judy Chicago’s art.”–Arthur C. Danto, Art Critic, The Nation“Levin’s compelling biography illuminates the life of a feminist icon whose art reflected and shaped the tumultuous era of which she was a part. Gracefully written and prodigiously researched, this is a fascinating and important contribution.”–Joyce Antler, author of The Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America“A fascinating confluence of biography and cultural history inspired by personal aspiration, radical politics, avant-garde art, and the Women’s Movement. Rich in new research and insights, Levin’s work is a valued and much overdue addition to the literature on Judy Chicago.”--Susan Fisher Sterling, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Chief Curator, National Museum of Women in the Arts Read more About the Author Gail Levin is a biographer, art historian, and curator of landmark exhibitions. She is a professor of art history, American studies, and women’s studies at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is the author of many books, including the definitive biography Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography. Read more
Reviews
After starting off a little too slow, this biography went on to be absolutely absorbing. I felt as if I could not for one minute put the book down. Very well written and incredibly insightful. You got the sense that Levin respects Chicago, but that does not mean she was fawning. In addition, Levin does a great job in navigating the many egos of artists still alive. My one gripe: Chapters should have chapter title headings on the individual pages instead of just repeating the book title over and over again all throughout the book. That got a little tiring after a while and if you lost your place while reading you were really in trouble. All in all though, I highly recommend this book, as well as Levin's biography on Lee Krasner. Let's hope she does more biographies on women artists, including women artists of color.