Solitaire

Lee Lozano, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Joan Semmel

Molesworth Helen, Burton Johanna, Meyer Richard

This compelling book looks at the work of three influential women artists and at the import of feminism in their practices. Painters Lee Lozano (1930-1999), Sylvia Plimack Mangold (b. 1938), and Joan Semmel (b. 1932) are each intensely private and, to varying degrees, they have chosen to disappear into their studios to work. Seemingly unconcerned about the dominance of prevailing styles or movements, these three women nevertheless each contributed to transformations in the art world. "Solitaire" examines in depth the three artists' work, sets the historical and social context, and analyzes the private endeavour of the artist alongside the critical reception of their art. The authors call attention to other artists who, like these three, have chosen private or idiosyncratic paths that too often exclude them from art historical narratives.

About the Author

Helen Molesworth is curator of contemporary art at the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, and author of the "Long Life Cool White: Photographs by Moyra Davey" (Yale University Press).

Johanna Burton is on faculty at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, and the School of the Arts, Columbia University. She is the author of "Mel Bochner: Language 1966-2006" (Yale University Press).

Richard Meyer is Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Southern California.

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