Mary Cassatt: Radical Impressionist Hardcover
Mary Cassatt: Radical Impressionist is a richly illustrated deep dive into the life and work of the Impressionist artist, exploring her portraits, innovative prints, and groundbreaking vision of modern womanhood. Publishing ahead of the major exhibition in Spring 2027 at the National Portrait Gallery.
A pioneering impressionist, a transatlantic trailblazer, and a fierce advocate of independence, Mary Cassatt is reintroduced in Radical Impressionist, a richly illustrated publication offering a fresh and authoritative perspective on one of the most influential artists of the later 19th and early 20th centuries, placing portraiture, identity and modern womanhood at the centre of Cassatt’s practice.
The publication explores Cassatt's career through the unifying theme of independence, tracing her artistic development across Europe and the United States. Essays by an international group of scholars examine her training, her role within the Impressionist circle, and her distinctive portrayals of women in both private and public life. Particular attention is given to Cassatt’s portrait of family, friends and professional sitters, revealing how question of autonomy, visibility and social change shaped her work.
Featuring paintings, pastels and prints from European and American collections many rarely reproduced, the book also consider Cassatt’s influence on the transatlantic art market, her innovative printmaking, and her landmark Modern Women commission. Newly researched archival material and unpublished letters deepen understanding of her artistic ambitions and political convictions, including her commitment to women’s suffrage.
An essential reference on Mary Cassatt, portraiture and modern identity, this publication re-evaluates Cassatt through new scholarship and marks a landmark international collaboration with the Musee d’Orsay, Paris, National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Format: 290 x 230mm
Pages: 259
Illustrations: 200 Images
ISBN: 9781855148703
Binding: Hardcover
Category: Art/Art History
