Customer Reviews

Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life

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Louise Nevelson really is one of the great American stories; she came to this country penniless and torn from her country and roots, without identity. she struggled to find exactly who she was and what her art meant to her, often to the detriment of her relationships and far outside the norm of the social expectations of the time. an extremely thorough and well-researched book (the author extensively interviewed the artist herself) that's not always flattering to Nevelson. the author does explore her tendencies toward neurosis, guilt and depression, though always bringing back into context with the development of her artistic vision. the definitive biography of Nevelson, in my opinion.

An interesting read, but rather disappointing in that there are absolutely no pictures of the artist or her work (besides the one portrait of the artist on the front cover.)

Not the book to read if you are looking for a critical analysis of Nevelson's art, this biography, while interesting, also fails to make any serious analysis of the connections between her work & her art. I don't know how you can discuss an artist's life apart from her art.

While this is a very good attempt to understand Louise Nevelson's legacy and while this is one of the most in-depth biographical studies done on her, the author fails to devote more time to Louise Nevelson, the woman, and not The Louise Nevelson, the American icon. The result, unfortunately, is a one-dimensional case study of a truly unique artist. I already know most of about Louise's artistry and, in fact, just about anyone can find information of such anywhere, at any time. What one does not find that easily is the woman who up until the last days of her life, felt an inordinate guilt for having been a bad mother, an alcoholic, and a very difficult person to live with on a daily basis. From my own conclusions, I feel that Louise left behind a truly disfunctional family-- from her one and only son, Mike Nevelson-- down to her granddaughters and great-granddaughters, mainly her elder granddaughter, Neith Nevelson, another American artist whose marginalization from her rightful place as another unique American artist simply because, as the saying goes, no kin of Louise's can be as good or as great as Louise herself. Overall I recommend this book, I just wish that in order to reassess an artist's legacy, biographers don't fall for the habit of glossing over crucial, key elements in a person's development even if those people are those whom we consider as "great".

Louise Nevelson was more than an artist, she was pure genius who entire existence was based on art. The author does write about her life in anti-Semitic Russia or Soviet Union where her family lived in shtetls before immigrating to Rockland, Maine where she was raised with her brother and sisters. Her father had left the family prior to their immigration which left a hole in Louise's life. Her birthdate is still argumentative and uncertain because of the calendar. She was raised in Orthodox Jewish household where her father and mother had separate bedrooms after her mother gave birth to her younger sister. They were not welcome and seen as outsiders in Protestant Rockland Maine. Louise never felt as if she belonged except when she was in the art classroom at school. She was never an honors student. She married Nevelson and moved to New York City which would become her ultimate destiny and home. She was never planning to be a mother but had one son, Myron, better known as Mike. In this book, there is a lot about their relationship and the estrangement that his mother had placed him in the care of loving relatives in Maine while she traveled Europe before World War II where the Nazi Germany was already setting up the annihilation of six million Jews. While she spoke Yiddish, Louise was not religious or she was not observant as an Orthodox Jew. She was passionate about her art and studying art. She worked tirelessly day and night. She had quite few relationships with men but her most stable was with a woman, neighbor, and confidante, Diane McKeown. Mike probably resented Diane because she was closer to his mother than he was in life. Mike became an artist too and lived in Fairfield, Connecticut if he is still alive. Louise never wanted to be a mother or a wife. She wanted to dedicate her life to her art. There is some interesting relationships like the one between Louise and Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera. Her sexual orientation remains ambigious. Her art remains unsurpassed to this day. I remember seeing Louise for the first time when they issued stamps in her honor. She has a street in New York City where she lived and breathed her art. She was a great experimenter. She also received the National Medal of the Arts before her death. She was cremated which is forbidden in the Jewish faith. I hope to see more of her art some day. I won't forget to stop by 29 Spring Street. Even her appearance was artistic, she was tall and attractive with brown eyes and hats and scarves over her head. She made an entrance at every occasion. There is nobody quite like her and nobody close to take her place. She was cremated and ashes remain with her son, Myron "Mike" Nevelson probably at his home in Fairfield, Connecticut.