The Lure of the Biographical

In The Lure of the Biographical, Sandra Kisters focuses on the relationship between an artwork and the personal image of an artist.

An artist's biography can be a potent source of inspiration and mythology, and this book explores how artists use their biographical image in order to make a name for themselves, and how other parties--such as critics, art historians and art dealers--make connections between personal lives and bodies of work, and for what purpose.

Through detailed case studies of the biographies and oeuvres of Auguste Rodin, Georgia O'Keeffe and Francis Bacon, The Lure of the Biographical explores what mechanisms and strategies are at play in creating an artist's image, and, in addition, proposes a model for research into questions of artistic self-representation.