Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History's Masterpieces by Ruth Millington (2022, Pegasus Books)
Ruth Millington is an art historian and author, specializing
in modern and contemporary art. In Muse, she explores the stories of the people
depicted in 30 famous portraits and the relationships they had with the artists
who painted them. Millington challenges the idea that muses are young women who
pose for old male artists. The muses in her book are women and men, young and
old, and all play a more active role in inspiring and influencing the art they
are a part of.
Millington writes in a breezy, journalistic style that makes
her book approachable to readers who might be interested in but unfamiliar with
the artists she examines. The only drawback to the book is that she describes a
lot of works of art and there are no pictures or illustrations of them, other than one black and white sketch at the beginning of each chapter. This is
understandable because the book would be enormous if it included pictures of
all the art described. But be prepared to spend some time on google looking up
the artwork as curiosity dictates, which it will.
The artists and the muses who inspired them featured in Millington's book are:
Diego Velázquez and Juan de Pareja
Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar
Gustav Klimpt and Emilie Flöge
David Hockney and Peter Schlesinger
Artemisia Gentileschi (herself)
Frida Kahlo (herself)
Sunil Gupta (himself)
Nilupa Yasmin (herself)
Marlene Dumas and Helena Dumas
Awol Erizki and BeyoncéFukase Masahisa and Fukase Sukezo
Alex Katz and Ada Katz
Francis Bacon and George Dyer
Sylvia Sleigh and Lawrence Alloway
Salvador Dalí and Gala Dalí
Pixy Liao and Moro
Marina Abramović and Ulay
Keith Haring and Grace Jones
Tim Walker and Tilda Swinton
Paula Rego and Lila Nunes
Sir John Everett Millais and Elizabeth Siddall
Sir Sidney Nolan and Sunday Reed
Augustus john and Lady Ottoline Morrell
Gabriele D'Annuzio and Marchesa Luisa Casati
Andrew Wyeth and Anna Christina Olson
Chris Ofili and Doreen Lawrence
Lucian Freud and Sue Tilley
Kim Leutwyler and Ollie Henderson
Kehinde Wiley and Souleo
Muse is a fascinating look at the stories behind some of art history's most significant and recognizable master works. Artists and art lovers will be enlightened and entertained by Millington's new book.