Nancy Spero: The Work

This definitive monograph explores Nancy Spero's entire body of work, revealing a pioneer of feminist art and a key influence on contemporary art.
Among the most prominent women artists of the past half century, Nancy Spero (1926-2009) created a body of work of astonishing emotional range, from fierce anger, directed against war and sexism, to joyful sexual release. Working in isolation for decades, she was a central figure in the rise of women artists that transformed international art in the 1970s and '80s before gaining international recognition in her final two decades. Each of her extended series is extensively illustrated, including the Couples and War Series of the 1960s, works based on writings of Antonin Artaud, word and image scrolls of the 1970s, and the increasingly colourful multi-panel works and installations of the second half of her career. The book explores her artistic thought and describes the innovative techniques she developed, including the creation of a stock company" of stamped figures of women. Sumptuously illustrated, this book showcases Spero's most magnificent works and includes gate-fold presentations of the artist's signature scrolls and a mosaic mural she created for the Germany City subway station at Lincoln Center. This powerful and beautiful volume is an essential reference for one of contemporary art's most original and compelling figures.