During the first half of the twentieth century, the Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957) was Europe's most notorious celebrity. Her extravagant lifestyle, eccentric personality, and scandalous escapades captivated and inspired some of the most influential artists of her time. She was painted by Boldini and Augustus John, sketched by Drian and Alastair, and photographed by Man Ray and Cecil Beaton, among others. Jean Cocteau praised her strange beauty; Jack Kerouac dedicated poems to her; Fortuny, Poiret, and Erte dressed her. She continues to inspire top designers today, including John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld.
The Marchesa Casati is a visual biography, telling Casati's captivating life story alongside the art and designs she has inspired, featuring 200 images covering her lifetime and beyond. Personal family momentos, paintings, sculptures, and photographs, some never before seen, illustrate the artistic and cultural legacy she left behind. Runway images, sketches, and advertorials show her continuing impact on the present-day fashion community.
"The Marchesa Casati: Portraits of a Muse explores Casati's heart and soul. It's a wonderfully complete portrait of a style icon, during her life and afterward, lavishly illustrated with more than 200 images, including personal mementos, and the art and designs she has inspired even today."
–Booth Moore, Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2009
"The story of the Marchesa Luisa Casati's life resembles a fable for our times. Ryersson and Yaccarino present a compelling collection of images to tell the story of Italy's richest heiress at turn of the last century, whose married aristocratic life and progeny were cast aside to indulge in a dramatically theatrical existence...She emerges a heroine, living the fantasy, all the way to the end."
–Glass Magazine
"With incredible passion for the Marchesa Casati, Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino have worked tirelessly to create a stunning homage and a visual biography to this legendary woman who continues to inspire fashion and style." --Diane von Furstenberg
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Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino are the authors of the bestselling biography Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati. They are the directors of The Casati Archives.
Diane von Furstenberg is an internationally renowned fashion designer.
Judith Thurman is a National Book Award-winning writer.
As a bedtime reader, it is easy to tell when I am into a page-turner - I go to bed early. A few years ago when reading "Infinite Variety", the authors' first offering on Casati's life and times, I remember announcing to my husband that "I think I'll go and see what the Marchesa is up to tonight", whereupon he gave me that "you're going to bed at 8:30 look?" Unlike "Infinite Variety", "The Marchesa Casati Portraits of a Muse" is not a book to be hungrily devoured. It is more like fine dining - one wants to savor every bite!
It is important to understand both what this book is and what it is not. It is a picture book. But unlike so many of today's pictorial offerings, it is definitely not a poorly researched and bunged- together doorstop. This book was more curated than written. It was done so with so much obvious attention to detail that one can easily imagine its contents on display at a blockbuster National Portrait Gallery show. From the high production values to the tasteful and varied graphics and the clever construction that sets out the Casati legend in dramatic phases, this is a beautiful book.
Two things shine through on every page - the passion the authors have for their subject matter and the care they take to ensure their many pictures appear alongside the corresponding text. This latter point is not a minor one - so many authors of illustrated books bend to publishing economics by binding in picture "sections" which require the reader to madly flip back and forth through many pages in order to relate textual and graphic elements. In this book the echoes of argument between the authors, editors and layout artists ("no, the Van Dongen portrait stays right where it is.... you move the D'Annunzio photo over my dead body".... etc.) are visceral.... What results is not only a well-organized and brilliantly engaging book, but a book that is truly an inspired work of art! Bravo!
The closing section, entitled "Afterlife," deserves special mention. It is here that the authors allow their academic integrity to shine as they prove that their book and indeed Casati's life is not just about outrageous exhibitionism. The thesis is that the Marchesa is important in the context of art and cultural history and the examples they provide, whether from Hollywood film, haute couture or even consumer products prove that the lady did indeed leave a legacy that even today inspires "generations of artists around the world....". Double Bravo!
If the first half of the 20th Century is "your" historical period, you are going to love this book. If you own a copy of "Infinite Variety", you need this companion piece. If 20th Century Modern Art is your thing, this is a must on your bookshelf. Otherwise, just get the book and enjoy a most worthwhile art-literary experience! - Joanne Bergen (aka the artophile)artophile.comRead more ›
Scott Ryersson and Michael Yaccarino are not the only ones obsessed with Marchesa Luisa Casati. Ever since I first saw one of the Man Ray portraits of her, I have been fascinated with her look and her life. This book has it all!! Pictures not included in the Ryersson/Yaccarino bio of her: Infinite Variety; and also brief bio bits that were in Infinite Variety. A gorgeous confection of a coffee table book of a woman I would call the first Goth girl! For those sick of Audrey Hepburn and her ilk, this book is a welcome respite! May the Marchesa live on in the hearts and arts of many to come! Thank you Scott Ryersson and Michael Yaccarino for this amazing and fabulous book!
Love the book! What a fascinating person and told so well! I received my copy yesterday and sat up to the wee hours to read. I'm ordering another to give as a gift. The text as are the photographs make this enigmatic woman live.
It is an amazing book! the best collection of images and photos about the marchesa luisa casati. Many of them have never been published before. With a super interesting section about contemporary artists and designers still inspired by Her!!
This beautifully designed coffee table book is the perfect companion to Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati (Definitive Edition). Seeing this amazing collection of art and design influenced by Marchesa Luisa Casati is truly marvelous. Her daring style and desire for individuality gave artists and designers the creative spark that still inspires to this very day. This book is a must have for those loving fashion and design. It has given me many hours of pleasure and inspiration. I applaud Ryersson and Yaccarino for their dedication and homage to this most incredible woman!
Having purchased the earlier version in paperback and been disappointed with the lack of images, this is a welcome "do over." The text is uneven and a little disappointing given the access to sources the writers had, but this version is slightly updated with a little more information. Describing it as "impressionistic" would perhaps be more flattering than "gossipy," but taking the anecdotes as illustrative of the images would probably be a better way to look at this collection. The images cover a full range of the Marchesa's career as an international woman of mystery, and in multiple media. The later chapter on the Marchesa's continuing influence in fashion and art has been expanded and is more interesting than the original version. (I also loved the photograph of the Marchesa's granddaughter with the famous bust of the Marchesa herself.)
It's a pity the Marchesa did not live in an era where being a self-portrait photographer was seen as a valid artistic career, and that there was no one to help rein in some of her impulses and manage her money, but what a crazy original spirit. The force of her personality/vision trumps the florid yet insipid writing, and makes me want a pet cheetah.
A very disappointing book, for there is no research on who the woman was and what motivated her, her interests, her studies, her inner thoughts. This is not a biography, it is a collection of photos, amd more photos of people who copied her style. The book is totally lacking substance, depth, and incite. A Muse ? Only is the sense that her style of clothing is something to be copied, rather than an individual who is inspiring. Surface appearance does not make for biography or for being a muse. I agree with above reviewer, that the writing is insipid. Might as well read a pictorial history of fashion.
