Joanna Pocock

Portrait of the artist and mother

Even such a celebrated Impressionist as Berthe Morisot was seen as a mother first and artist second – a view Hettie Judah sets out to reverse

‘The Cradle’ by Berthe Morisot, 1873. [Musée d’Orsay, Paris/Alamy] 
issue 03 August 2024

On reaching the end of Hettie Judah’s Acts of Creation, I felt somewhat overwhelmed. At 272 pages, the book isn’t particularly large, but the time span it covers, from prehistoric goddess figures to Laure Prouvost’s 2021 cyborg-octopus installation ‘MOOTHERR’, is enormous. The trajectories, practices and obsessions of the artists discussed range far and wide.

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