Writer and art historian Patricia Albers will present “Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter,” an illustrated lecture on Abstract Expressionist artist Joan Mitchell. Mitchell came to prominence in New York in the 1950s, and later worked in France for over three decades. Her lyrical paintings, pastels, and prints demonstrate her mastery of gesture and color. Albers will discuss the artist’s life and work in the context of an era when it was widely believed that women could not paint.   



Albers is the author of Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter: A Life, the artist’s first full biography, selected by Booklist as one of the ten best biographies of 2011. She also wrote Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti, a biography of the Italian-born photographer. She is currently working on a biography of photographer André Kertész. Event is free with Museum admission.