Portrait of an Artist - by Laurie Lisle (Paperback)

About the Book

Completely revised and updated, this definitive biography will fascinate Georgia O'Keeffe's fans as well as students of art history and 20th-century cultural historians. 16 pages of photographs.

Book Synopsis

"Readers will welcome what Lisle has found. The woman who emerges has extraordinary personal stature, artistic gifts, commitment to her vision." --(Chicago Tribune)

Recollections of more than one hundred of O'Keeffe's friends, relatives, colleagues, and neighbors--including 16 pages of photographs--as well as published and previously unpublished historical records and letters provide "an excellent portrait of a nearly legendary figure" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of ninety-eight. Her vivid visual vocabulary--sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth--had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century.

O'Keeffe's personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Portrait of an Artist is an in-depth account of her exceptional life--from her girlhood and early days as a controversial art teacher, to her discovery by the pioneering photographer of the New York avant-garde, Alfred Stieglitz, to her seclusion in the New Mexico desert where she lived until her death.

Renowned for her fierce independence, iron determination, and unique artistic vision, Georgia O'Keeffe is a twentieth-century legend. Her dazzling career spans virtually the entire history of modern art in America.

Armed with passion, steadfastness, and three years poring over research, former Newsweek reporter Laurie Lisle finally shines a light on one of the most significant and innovative twentieth century artists.

Review Quotes

"Portrait of an Artist is a superb piece of work in every respect...Not only does it document the full scope to date of this remarkable 20th-century life, but it does so directly, simply, and objectively. Clearly journalist Lisle has scooped the art world with an impressive literary debut." --Smithsonian

"Portrait of an Artist is a sensitive and beautifully documented biography. It moved me deeply--I can't remember when a book involved me so totally." --Patricia Bosworth, author, Diane Arbus: A Biography

"What a personality emerges from these pages!...Portrait of an Artist is filled with riches."--Joyce Carol Oates, Mademoiselle

"Portrait of an Artist is in many ways a remarkably informative book. Lisle has created a vivid and sensitive portrait of O'Keeffe as an artist and woman...Above and beyond the personal portrait, Lisle's biography is a marvelous evocation of the American places that have been important in the development of O'Keeffe's character and her art." --James R. Mellow, The Saturday Review

"Laurie Lisle has given us a mortal Georgia O'Keeffe, whose human hunger and frailties, gifts and strengths, enabled her to survive--triumphantly--a conflicted life. Many readers will draw encouragement and even inspiration from this portrait." --Eleanor Munro, author, Originals: American Women Artists

"Readers will welcome what Lisle has found. The woman who emerges has extraordinary personal stature, artistic gifts, commitment to her vision." --Chicago Tribune

About the Author

In addition to Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, Laurie Lisle is the author of two books: Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness and Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life. She lectures widely on O'Keeffe and writes essays, articles and book reviews for various publications. Lisle lives with her husband in northwestern Connecticut and Westchester County, New York.