Art
The Artwork That Inverted My Mental Map
“América invertida” by Uruguayan-Spanish artist Joaquín Torres García was always meant to be a mission statement.
Lily Meyer
Books
Another Story of Disaffected Young Women
Nicole Flattery's Nothing Special is a story of a lost girl, washed up in Warhol's Factory, which could, for all its peculiarities, be pretty much anywhere.
Books
Alison Bechdel's New Book Offers Some Secrets to “Superhuman Strength”
In her supremely good graphic memoir, Bechdel considers her life-in-workouts, offering some surprising nuggets of wisdom on our endless quests for self-transformation.
Books
Plunder Dissects Napoleon’s Obsession with Stealing Art
Using a mix of art, military, and intellectual history, Cynthia Saltzman argues that controlling art is a powerful way to control hearts and minds.
Books
Rachel Cusk Intertwines Art with Healthy Skepticism
A fiercely odd, even unfashionably allegorical book, Second Place would be disappointing if it weren’t so bafflingly good.
Books
New Helen Frankenthaler Biography Favors Nostalgia Over Artist’s Interiority
In Fierce Poise, the paternalistic attitude toward Frankenthaler undermines both the author’s gifts and the artist’s.
Books
A Once-Revolutionary Creative Fellowship for Women Artists
Maggie Doherty’s The Equivalents follows the Radcliffe College Institute for Independent Study’s role in mid-century feminism, and explores the ways in which it fell short.
Books
Olivia Laing’s Essays Make a Case for Why Art Matters in Turbulent Times
As exterior life shuts temporarily down, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency is a useful reminder that connection can be intellectual as well as physical.