Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston: A Passionate Collaboration [Hardcover]

Beth Gates Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

An examination of the personal and professional relationship between two important American photographers.

Margrethe Mather has been remembered mostly through the commentary of fellow photographer Edward Weston, who referred to her as "the first important person" in his life. In fact, Mather was probably the greatest influence on the development of Weston's early career. Although Mather's little-known body of work has always held its own in the company of great photographs, her biography and influence have never been thoroughly investigated, in no small part due to her own reluctance to reveal the details of her colorful, sometimes sordid life. This book illuminates the professional and personal relationship of Mather and Weston, adding an unforgettable chapter to the history of twentieth-century photography. Mather and Weston first met in Los Angeles in 1913. They soon developed a close relationship, eventually working together as full-fledged artistic partners and even co-signing the photographs they produced. Weston was also madly in love with Mather, and the two engaged in a brief affair during his first marriage, although Mather was more interested in women. This book, which features work by both artists, chronicles their twelve-year association and sheds light on Mather, whose artistry, sexual identity, and mysterious past were overshadowed by the massive reputation of Edward Weston and his subsequent association with Tina Modotti.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] penetrating glimpse of California Bohemia...fascinating. -- The Bloomsbury Review, John Murray, January/February 2002

About the Author

Beth Gates Warren is a historian of photography and the former director of Sotheby's New York Photographs Department. She lives in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393041573
• ISBN-13: 978-0393041576
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good art, bad art history, April 19, 2002

By 

D. Johnson (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston: A Passionate Collaboration (Hardcover)

Almost nothing has been written on the pictorialist movement in California in the early 20th century, yet every well know photographer in California was active in it. This book is an imaginative look at one of the best and most mysterious practitioners. Mather and Weston found themselves in L.A. at the time in history when the movie industry was taking shape and a lot of creative and adventurous people came out here. This book captures some of that atmosphere.

Mather is interesting as a woman, as an artist and member of an eclectic group of West Coast artists, one of whom was Edward Weston with whom she worked and did other things for about 12 years. There is no question that they stimulated each other. Nothing could be less important except to get you to buy a book, I think.

Warren weakens Mather by linking her to Weston, trying to make the case that she influenced him. Her analysis is superficial to the point that her writing seems like an "infomercial". This is not surprising since the author used to work for an art auction house.

She would be far more informative if she had pointed out the differences between their approaches to the same subjects. Artists, particularly photographers of the place and time in question, met each other in clubs where they showed each other their work and talked about it. Everyone knew everyone and their influences helped define the differences between them. The Impressionists hung out together, the Dadaist hung out together as did almost every group or movement in art history. It is not informative for the author simply to restate this commonplace.

One of Mather's photographs of a boy wrapped in a kimono Warren compares with Weston's photograph of Tina Modotti in a kimono taken some years later. The subject is not new, and both photographs are wonderful but entirely different. Mather's is graphically 30 years ahead of its time, abstract, soft and easy.
Weston's is bold, sharp and explicit, and a dramatic break with pictorialism. It was probably influenced by Stieglitz, not Mather, according to those who wrote about Weston's meeting with Stieglitz. These two pictures, like many of the others Warren compares, are not even about the same thing.

In the end, this is a book about Edward Weston and not Mather. No new light is shed on either one of them, despite the huge bibliography of reference material. Not all of the works listed support Warren's case but she never mentions this of course.

There is a lot of art in this biography but not much art history. The photographs are well selected and presented. Margrethe Mather made some exceptional photographs which brought her a just amount of fame.

Mather's personal life would make a good movie. She was beautiful, talented and led a mysterious life which ended somewhat tragically. She died unknown mostly because she wanted to, and that is an important part of her story which Warren explores in this book.

Warren is working on a longer treatment of Mather. Hopefully she will pay more attention to the substance of the artist's work and her personal life and distract us less with her association with Weston.

This book is graphically rich and stimulating food for thought. Buy if for the art and dig up some of the material referred to in the footnotes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, Beautifully written, August 2, 2011

By 

applestoapples - See all my reviews

This review is from: Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston: A Passionate Collaboration (Hardcover)

Having just re-read this thoughtfully written and stunningly beautiful book, I felt compelled to post a review.
I must disagree with D. Johnson's review of the work on several counts. Johnson apparently wanted Warren to discuss the differences in Weston's and Mather's work, though the subtitle of the book specifically states that the author's focus is on their collaboration.
I can understand Johnson's interest in Mather; she must have been a fascinating woman, but the claim that the book is, "in the end, [ ] about Edward Weston.." and not Mather, is simply incorrect. This book was my introduction to Mather, and though we would all like to know more about this woman who didn't really want to be remembered, I don't feel that Warren has slighted the reader.
Warren has done original, well documented research on both Mather and Weston, and she writes in a precise, yet deeply effecting way about both artists. Further, the odd comment about Warren writing in the manner of an infomercial and that her style is a result of her work at Sotheby's is nonsensical at best. The writing is engaging and informative; this, combined with the gorgeous photographs, results in a rare achievement in the publishing world - she has left me wanting more.