Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable

(Hardback)

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A richly illustrated exploration of Mina Loys art and writings

Mina Loy (18821966) was one of the most iconoclastic figures in modernism. A groundbreaking poet, she also left an indelible mark in painting, drawing, prose, art criticism, and fashion. Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable is the first book to examine the full scope of her extraordinary career, demonstrating Loys transformative impact on the visual arts as well as the literary avant-garde of the twentieth century.

Presenting dozens of Loys paintings, drawings, and constructions alongside selections of her poems and writings, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the complex images and objects Loy created and situates them in the larger context of her life and work. It explores Loys pursuit of truth and beauty, arguing that her engagement with the emphatically unbeautiful materials of the Bowerysuch as rags and bottle capsreflects her questioning of truth. The book positions Loy within the broader context of surrealist art; sheds light on her relationships with influential figures such as Gertrude Stein, Marcel Duchamp, and Wyndham Lewis; and addresses Loys enduring relevance today.

Featuring rare and previously unpublished artworks, Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable reveals this visionary artists extraordinary contributions as an image-maker, writer, and cultural arbiter, introducing her work to a new generation of readers and charting new directions in art history, womens studies, poetry, and modernist studies.

Published in association with the Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule
Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine
April 6September 17, 2023

Reviews

"[Mina Loy] gives a crucial account of Loys varied life and art, and also shines a light on other aspects of her multifaceted creative output, including her work as a writer, poet, playwright, inventor, and fashion and industrial designer. . . . This book provides an essential foundation for future scholarship on this fascinating and enigmatic artist."---Lauren Moya Ford, Hyperallergic

Author Bio

Jennifer R. Gross is a modern and contemporary art curator and scholar whose books include The Socit Anonyme: Modernism for America. Dawn Ades is professor emerita of the history and theory of art at the University of Essex. Roger L. Conover, a writer and editor, is the executor of Mina Loys literary estate. Ann Lauterbach is the David and Ruth Schwab Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College.