Joan Mitchell (1926-1992) was one of the few women among the first-rank Abstract Expressionist painters. She outpaced all but a handful of her male mentors and counterparts, while only Lee Krasner stands as a possible rival among her female counterparts. Although well regarded by critics, fellow artists, and the general public, Mitchell`s achievement has never received full recognition; her work has not been shown in New York for more than twenty-five years. This exquisitely illustrated volume and the exhibition that it accompanies restore the artist to her rightful place in the history of American painting. Spanning Mitchell`s entire career, from early works of 1951 until the year of her death, The Paintings of Joan Mitchell includes a wealth of breathtaking paintings, both intimate and grand in scale, that reveal Mitchell`s fierce dedication to her art and reflect both the struggles and the artistic triumphs she achieved with her distinctive vision of Abstract Expressionism.

Jane Livingston draws on the artist`s personal papers, including her journals and extensive correspondence, to provide an illuminating interpretation of the artist and her work. Linda Nochlin, who was a friend of Mitchell, discusses the artist`s experience working in a field dominated by men. A third text by Whitney Curator Yvette Lee explores a distinctive and little-known suite of paintings entitled La Grande Vallée, created in 1983-84. Mounted with the full cooperation of the estate of Joan Mitchell, the exhibition contains many paintings rarely seen before--and in some cases never publicly exhibited. This book includes an exhibition history; an extensive artist bibliography of related monographs, reviews, and filmed interviews; and color plates and listing of all the works appearing in the exhibition.

AUTHORS:

In addition to The Paintings of Joan Mitchell, Jane Livingston curated the exhibitions and authored the books Richard Avedon: Evidence and Richard Diebenkorn: A Retrospective, all at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Among her other books are The New York School: Photographs, 1936-1963 (1992) and Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters & Sculptors (1987).

Linda Nochlin is Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Modern Art at New York University`s Institute of Fine Arts and author of many books including Representing Women (1999).

Yvette Lee is Assistant Curator for Special Projects at the Whitney Museum of American Art.