Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906, Josephine Baker ran away from home at age thirteen to join a traveling road show. Later, after touring the country as a dancer, she left the United States for Paris. There, she starred in the groundbreaking musical revue La Revue Negre and quickly became the toast of Paris and Europe. Her versatility and flair for performance complemented Paris in the 1920s—which embraced the Charleston and a progressive new musical language called jazz. Created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the celebrated African American entertainer, Josephine Baker: Image and Icon uses lavish illustrations and informative essays to tell the story of a legendary performer whose appeal transcended race, country, and culture. This rich, once-in-a-lifetime volume gathers photographs, posters, drawings, prints, and sculpture to tell the story of Baker’s life and contributions to 20th century culture. An essay by Bennetta Jules Rosette offers a biographical overview of the performer’s career, and Olivia Lahs-Gonzales places Baker in context as Modern Woman. Josephine Baker: Image and Icon, through words and rare images, captures the beauty of a groundbreaking artist and her significance. It also serves as the companion to the exhibit opening April 21, 2006, at The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis.
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Bennetta Jules Rosette is a professor of sociology at the University of California–San Diego and author of the forthcoming book Two Loves: Josephine Baker in Art and Life (University of Illinois Press, 2006). Olivia Lahs-Gonzales is the director of The Sheldon Art Galleries and curator of the exhibit Josephine Baker: Image and Icon. Tyler Stovall, Professor, History and Program Chair, France-Berkeley Fund, Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light (Houghton Mifflin Press, 1996).
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Josephine Baker: A Life to Remember,
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This review is from: Josephine Baker: Image and Icon (Hardcover)
The life of Josephine Baker is one of the most incredible success stories in American history. Born into a poor but vibrant district of St. Louis, as a child she took her first steps toward becoming an incredible dancer by dancing in the streets for pennies. At age 13, she ran away to join a traveling road show, and at age 16 was the star dancer of a show that toured the country. She moved to Paris to join a musical review called La Revue Négre. So great was her success that, at age 20, she was the toast of Paris, and soon after, the toast of all Europe.
Ernest Hemingway said of her "(she is) ...the most sensational woman anybody ever saw. Or ever will. Tall, coffee skin, ebony eyes, legs of paradise, and a smile to end all smiles." Baker even took lessons in dancing from the great ballet master Balanchine who, as it turned out, learned more from her than she from him! Josephine Baker, Image and Icon is a tribute to this incredible African-American who had little or no formal education, but earned her place in history through sweat and perseverance and an incredible talent. It is a book made beautiful by the images of Baker herself, as shown by original theatrical posters, photographs, drawings, prints and paintings of Baker made by some of the most celebrated artists of the period. The book is a rich profusion of color and movement, much like the dancing for which Baker was celebrated. The book had its origin in the mind of the Director of the Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis, Olivia Lahs-Gonzales. After two years of searching for art and ephemera that would best show the life and times of Baker, Gonzales mounted an exhibition at the Sheldon Art Galleries by the same name, with exhibits drawn from collections public and private across the United States and Europe.* The book itself was the natural outcome of what was shown at the gallery. In the book, Josephine Baker and her life and times is further defined by three scholarly and highly readable treatises. Bennetta Jules-Rosette, the author of "Two Loves: Josephine Baker in Art and Life," writes of the inventing of the image of Baker and the preserving of her as an icon. Olivia Lahs-Gonzales offers a commentary on Baker in the context of the modern woman. Tyler Stovall, author of "Paris Noir, African-Americans in the City of Light," describes Paris and the Jazz Age, and the place of Baker in the black Montmartre. Baker not only danced and sang her way into the hearts of Paris, Europe and the world, but capitalized on her fame by taking on other tasks, such as combating racism in all its aspects. She adopted 12 children of all races and religions--her "rainbow tribe"-- and installed them in an immense French chateau. And, most incredibly, she took on the dangerous role of a courier in the French underground during the Nazi occupation, for which she received the French Légion d'Honneur. If there ever was a book that defined and embodied its subject in its pages, it is Josephine Baker in Art and Life. It is a book that belongs in the library of everyone who loves Americana in its finest manifestation. *The exhibition has now moved on to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, where it remains until March 18, 2007
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impossible to Put Down,
By BookManBookWoman TV REVIEWS "Saralee Terry Woods" (Nashville, Tn United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Josephine Baker: Image and Icon (Hardcover)
"The life and shocking story of the icon who danced her way to fame and infamy in Paris."
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful book from a very interesting exhibit,
By Tea Time "Tea Time" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Josephine Baker: Image and Icon (Hardcover)
I used this book for a class I taught about Josephine Baker. The images collected here give such a good representation of Ms. Baker's life, and the three long essays in the book helped me understand her better. I would love to see this exhibition personally, but since I can't do that the book makes a good substitute. La Baker was quite a woman!
Incidentally the recently released DVDs of her movies are interesting too.
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