Description
Book SynopsisThe American artist Theresa Ferber Bernstein (1890–2002) made and exhibited her work in every decade of the twentieth century. This authoritative book about Bernstein provides an overview of her life and artistic career, examining her relationships with contemporary artists.
Trade Review“Theresa Bernstein: A Century in Art is a major contribution to art history. Although there are exhibition catalogs of Theresa Bernstein’s work and her writings, there is no overview of her life and career, so this book is unique in viewing all the aspects of Bernstein’s artistic career and her biography, as well as her relationship with contemporary artists.”—Alicia Craig Faxon, professor of art history emerita at Simmons College and the author of Self-Portraits by Women Painters
“Gail Levin and her team of authors have assembled a fascinating account of the life and art of Theresa Bernstein, who came of age in the early years of the twentieth century and painted with a boldness of technique and feeling on a par with John Sloan and Stuart Davis. Indeed, she often surpassed them in terms of the praise showered on her when she exhibited in New York and Gloucester during the interwar years. Eclipsed at midcentury, as so many other women artists were, she is today recognized as a leading artist of the early twentieth-century urban scene.”—Patricia Hills, professor of art history at Boston University and the author of
Painting Harlem Modern: The Art of Jacob Lawrence “Based on extensive research, this important book illuminates the compelling life and work of American realist painter Theresa Bernstein. Bernstein’s career spans a century, from her early success in the vibrant New York art world of the 1910s to the diverse portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and prints she produced and exhibited until well past the age of one-hundred. This volume’s rich essays and illustrations restore Bernstein to the place she deserves in art history.”—Laura R. Prieto, professor of history and women’s and gender studies at Simmons College and author of At Home in the Studio: The Professionalization of Women Artists in America
"This book helps bring to life Theresa Bernstein, her life and her art. . . . Her work is impressive, especially compared to her peers at the time. . . . This book will help people appreciate her art more."—Kevin Winter,
Portland Book Review"Levin—who first encountered Bernstein's name while researching her book on Edward Hopper—has rendered an intriguing biography out of wonderful artwork and a provocative life story."—Arlene B. Soifer, Jewish Book Council
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements by Gail Levin
List of Illustrations
1. Forgotten Fame: Inscribing Theresa Bernstein into History
Gail Levin
2. The Ashcan School? Theresa Bernstein and Her Vision of New York
Elsie Heung
3. Theresa Bernstein in Gloucester: Shaping Artistic Identity
Michele Cohen
4. Theresa Bernstein and the Era of World War I in New York
Sarah Archino
5. Dada’s Long Shadow: Theresa Bernstein and “The Paint Rag”
Sarah Archino
6. Theresa Bernstein’s World in Still Life
Patricia M. Burnham
7. Documentary Still, a Portrait of a Relationship
Gillian Pistell
8. Impressions: Theresa Bernstein as Printmaker
Stephanie Hackett
9. Theresa Bernstein: A Chronology, 1890-2002
10. Theresa Bernstein: A List of Public Collections
11. Bibliography
Theresa Bernstein: A Selection of Her Writings
