Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable
English
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Featuring rare and previously unpublished artworks, Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable reveals this visionary artists extraordinary contributions as an image-maker, writer, and cultural arbiter,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