An art critic examines female self-portraits and identity over the course of five centuries.
As editor at large of frieze magazine and the presenter of Bow Down, a podcast about women in art history, Higgie has an extensive knowledge of the works of women artists, most of whom have struggled historically with being accepted as serious artists. They have been excluded from artistic training, denied access to materials, underrepresented in commercial galleries and by art critics, and have faced physical and emotional abuse. However, as the author contends, “If she had access to a mirror, a palette, an easel and paint, a woman could endlessly reflect on her face, and, by extension, her place in the world.” Focusing primarily yet not exclusively on self-portraits, Higgie explores various aspects of the lives and times of numerous painters, including Artemisia Gentileschi, Frida Kahlo, Rita Angus, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Suzanne Valadon. The author does not follow a linear pattern; rather, she groups her minibiographies by categories such as Allegory, Hallucination, Solitude, Translation, and Naked, moving back and forth across time and genre. While her book is well researched and provides wonderful descriptions of the selected works to which she refers, at times, Higgie appears to struggle with a desire to find a stronger connection between the artists than exists. Frequently, she ponders if the artists may have met or known of each other’s work, followed by the reluctant answer that we do not know. This pattern feels stilted and detracts from the flow of the book. While the text initially feels dry and academic, perhaps due to limited information being available related to the early artists, Higgie finds her stride around the midpoint, creating an overall fascinating commentary about the identity of female artists. The book includes color photos of many of the works discussed.
A mostly engaging analysis of the resilience of female artists throughout modern history.