Joan Mitchell (1926-1992) was one of the few women among the first-rank Abstract Expressionist painters. She outpaced all but a handful of her male mentors and counterparts, while only Lee Krasner stands as a possible rival among her female counterparts. Although well regarded by critics, fellow artists, and the general public, Mitchell's achievement has never received full recognition; her work has not been shown in New York for more than twenty-five years. This exquisitely illustrated volume and the exhibition that it accompanies restore the artist to her rightful place in the history of American painting. Spanning Mitchell's entire career, from early works of 1951 until the year of her death, "The Paintings of Joan Mitchell "includes a wealth of breathtaking paintings, both intimate and grand in scale, that reveal Mitchell's fierce dedication to her art and reflect both the struggles and the artistic triumphs she achieved with her distinctive vision of Abstract Expressionism.
Jane Livingston draws on the artist's personal papers, including her journals and extensive correspondence, to provide an illuminating interpretation of the artist and her work. Linda Nochlin, who was a friend of Mitchell, discusses the artist's experience working in a field dominated by men. A third text by Whitney Curator Yvette Lee explores a distinctive and little-known suite of paintings entitled "La Grande Vallé e, "created in 1983-84. Mounted with the full cooperation of the estate of Joan Mitchell, the exhibition contains many paintings rarely seen before--and in some cases never publicly exhibited. This book includes an exhibition history; an extensive artist bibliography of relatedmonographs, reviews, and filmed interviews; and color plates and listing of all the works appearing in the exhibition.
Joan Mitchell (1926-1992) was one of the few women among the first-rank Abstract Expressionist painters. She outpaced all but a handful of her male mentors and counterparts, while only Lee Krasner stands as a possible rival among her female counterparts. Although well regarded by critics, fellow artists, and the general public, Mitchell's achievement has never received full recognition; her work has not been shown in New York for more than twenty-five years. This exquisitely illustrated volume and the exhibition that it accompanies restore the artist to her rightful place in the history of American painting. Spanning Mitchell's entire career, from early works of 1951 until the year of her death, "The Paintings of Joan Mitchell "includes a wealth of breathtaking paintings, both intimate and grand in scale, that reveal Mitchell's fierce dedication to her art and reflect both the struggles and the artistic triumphs she achieved with her distinctive vision of Abstract Expressionism.
Jane Livingston draws on the artist's personal papers, including her journals and extensive correspondence, to provide an illuminating interpretation of the artist and her work. Linda Nochlin, who was a friend of Mitchell, discusses the artist's experience working in a field dominated by men. A third text by Whitney Curator Yvette Lee explores a distinctive and little-known suite of paintings entitled "La Grande Vallé e, "created in 1983-84. Mounted with the full cooperation of the estate of Joan Mitchell, the exhibition contains many paintings rarely seen before--and in some cases never publicly exhibited. This book includes an exhibition history; an extensive artist bibliography of relatedmonographs, reviews, and filmed interviews; and color plates and listing of all the works appearing in the exhibition.
FOREWORD Maxwell L. Anderson The Paintings of Joan Mitchell Jane Livingston A Rage to Paint: Joan Mitchell and the Issue of Femininity Linda Nochlin "Beyond Life and Death": Joan Mitchell's Grande Vallee Suite Yvette Y. Lee PLATES WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION SELECTED EXHIBITION HISTORY SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INDEX
This volume was designed to accompany an exhibition of Joan Mitchell's work.
In addition to The Paintings of Joan Mitchell, Jane Livingston curated the exhibitions and authored the books Richard Avedon: Evidence and Richard Diebenkorn: A Retrospective, all at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Among her other books are The New York School: Photographs, 1936-1963 (1992) and Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters & Sculptors (1987). Linda Nochlin is Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Modern Art at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and author of many books including Representing Women (1999). Yvette Lee is Assistant Curator for Special Projects at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
This catalog accompanies the first solo exhibition of the paintings of Joan Mitchell (1926-92) in New York City in over 20 years. (The event will be at the Whitney until the end of this month and then will travel to Birmingham, AL, Forth Worth, TX, and Washington, DC.) Though considered a foremost abstract expressionist, Mitchell disliked being affiliated with the movement and especially objected to being viewed as a woman artist. Using Mitchell's journals and correspondence, Livingston (Richard Avedon, etc.) follows the evolution of Mitchell's painting and discusses her technique, which showed more concern with color than with the integrity of the medium. Taking a feminist approach, Linda Nochlin demonstrates that Mitchell's rage at being viewed as a "feminine other" was transformed into a positive energy that brought emotional intensity to her paintings. And Whitney curator Yvette Lee discusses the "Grand Valle" series of 16 paintings (1983-84) as some of Mitchell's most luminous and lyrical. This book compares well with the first monograph on Mitchell, Judith Bernstock's Joan Mitchell, which also contains high-quality color reproductions and scholarly essays. The Bernstock book, however, focuses more on the artist's paintings in relation to the poetry that she loved. Recommended for all libraries that collect books on art.-Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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