Edited by Lærke Rydal Jørgensen, Kirsten Degel, Marie Laurberg. Foreword by Poul Erik Tøjner, Kirsten Degel, Marie Laurberg. Text by Marie Laurberg, Neville Rowley, Pia Fris Laneth, Adam Bencard, Marcel Proust, Maggie Nelson, Rachel Cusk, Lydia Davis, Gustave Flaubert, Sylvia Plath, Hans Christian Andersen, et al.
The mother as motif in art and literature, from prehistoric fertility goddesses to the Madonna and Child and beyond
Ushering us into the world, our mother is our physical and cultural wellspring. Even if she is lost or absent, we are all sons and daughters. Throughout history and across cultures, the role of the mother has shifted, expanding at times and narrowing at others, as traditional family structures are by turns questioned and reinforced. This volume of art and literature on the many representations of the mother figure in art history ranges across religion, music, film and medicine. Excerpts, essays and poems by Marcel Proust, Maggie Nelson, Rachel Cusk, Lydia Davis, Gustave Flaubert, Sylvia Plath and Hans Christian Andersen meditate on motherhood alongside a wealth of visual material. Although the volume’s main focus is on 20th-century and 21st-century art, Mother! Origin of Life reaches back through history to trace artistic motifs from the prehistoric era to Ancient Greece to the Renaissance, noting how contemporary artists continue to tap into such universal themes. Between more than 150 artworks, expert texts and a short anthology of motherhood in literature, this publication reveals how depictions of motherhood in the arts have been linked to broader cultural perceptions. Artists include: Sophie Calle, Mary Cassatt, Rineke Dijkstra, Laure Prouvost, Frida Orubapo, Tracey Emin, Alberto Giacometti, Mary Kelly, René Magritte, Alice Neel and Pablo Picasso.
Detail of Manjari Sharma & Irina Rozovsky's "To See Your Face" (2016–2017) is reproduced from 'Mother! Origin of Life.'
“Cold or warm, present or absent, everyone has a mother. The archetypal mother, the female figure as a symbol of life and fertility, exists across all times and cultures. Our physical and cultural origin, she ushers us into the world. Even if she is lost or absent, we are all sons and daughters.” So writes Marie Laurberg, co-curator of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art’s deluxe survey, Mother! Origin of Life—a Staff Pick for Mother’s Day 2023. Collecting 160 artworks presenting mother as motif—from prehistoric fertility goddesses to the Madonna and Child to contemporary representations of the queer mother—this volume features works by artists including Sophie Calle, Mary Cassatt, Rineke Dijkstra, Laure Prouvost, Frida Orubapo, Tracey Emin, Alberto Giacometti, Mary Kelly, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso and Alice Neel, whose 1975 painting, “Ginny and Elizabeth,” is reproduced here. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.5 x 10.25 in. / 128 pgs / 150 color / 10 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $35.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $49 GBP £25.00 ISBN: 9788793659384 PUBLISHER: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art AVAILABLE: 1/18/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Edited by Lærke Rydal Jørgensen, Kirsten Degel, Marie Laurberg. Foreword by Poul Erik Tøjner, Kirsten Degel, Marie Laurberg. Text by Marie Laurberg, Neville Rowley, Pia Fris Laneth, Adam Bencard, Marcel Proust, Maggie Nelson, Rachel Cusk, Lydia Davis, Gustave Flaubert, Sylvia Plath, Hans Christian Andersen, et al.
The mother as motif in art and literature, from prehistoric fertility goddesses to the Madonna and Child and beyond
Ushering us into the world, our mother is our physical and cultural wellspring. Even if she is lost or absent, we are all sons and daughters. Throughout history and across cultures, the role of the mother has shifted, expanding at times and narrowing at others, as traditional family structures are by turns questioned and reinforced. This volume of art and literature on the many representations of the mother figure in art history ranges across religion, music, film and medicine. Excerpts, essays and poems by Marcel Proust, Maggie Nelson, Rachel Cusk, Lydia Davis, Gustave Flaubert, Sylvia Plath and Hans Christian Andersen meditate on motherhood alongside a wealth of visual material. Although the volume’s main focus is on 20th-century and 21st-century art, Mother! Origin of Life reaches back through history to trace artistic motifs from the prehistoric era to Ancient Greece to the Renaissance, noting how contemporary artists continue to tap into such universal themes. Between more than 150 artworks, expert texts and a short anthology of motherhood in literature, this publication reveals how depictions of motherhood in the arts have been linked to broader cultural perceptions.
Artists include: Sophie Calle, Mary Cassatt, Rineke Dijkstra, Laure Prouvost, Frida Orubapo, Tracey Emin, Alberto Giacometti, Mary Kelly, René Magritte, Alice Neel and Pablo Picasso.
