Self-Portrait

Carla Lonzi is the missing voice in Italian art history and art criticism in general. Working in the hyper-masculine world of Italian art in the 1960s, many of Lonzi's ideas, about the work of women and the differences between a mainstream and a feminist approach to making work were absorbed into the larger culture; the roots of that thinking are found in 'Self-portrait'. This translation into English is overdue. The work is a forgotten classic of modern art history, feminist studies, and experimental writing. 'Self-portrait' transforms traditional conceptions of linear art historical thinking, reimagines the role of the critic, as well as the role of women in the world of art. 'Self-portriat' was Lonzi's last book to focus on artists before she dedicated herself to political feminism. Art remained an important part of Lonzi's approach to feminist activism, she saw "creativity as a mode of self-emancipation" and this book enables readers to observe that process at work through the detailed and profound discussions that come out through Lonzi's commitment. An insider's view into the early careers of many prominent Italian artists: Accardi, Alviani, Castellani, Consagra, Fabro, Fontana, Kounellis, Nigro, Paolini, Pascali, Rotella, Fontana, Scarpitta, Turcato, and Twombly. A polyphonic "love letter" to art and artists, Lonzi assembles a dialogue out of four years (1965-69) of conversation.