Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.
Discover the story of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard—a long-ignored artist and feminist of eighteenth-century France—with the Hudson Library & Historical Society on Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. Award-winning author Bridget Quinn will discuss her new book Portrait of a Woman at this virtual author event. The book is a compelling and inspiring look at an artist too long overlooked.
Born in Paris in 1749, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard rose from shopkeeper’s daughter to an official portraitist of the royal court—only to have her achievements reduced to ash by the French Revolution. While she defied societal barriers to become a member of the exclusive Académie Royale and a mentor for other ambitious women painters, she left behind few writings, and her legacy was long overshadowed. This engaging biography offers a fascinating new perspective on the artist’s feminism, her sexuality, and her vision of the world. Portrait of a Woman expertly blends close analyses of paintings with broader context about the era and inserts delicately fictionalized interpersonal scenes that fill the gaps in the historical record.
Bridget Quinn is a writer, art historian, and critic. She is the author of the award-winning Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order) and She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened Next. A graduate of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and a regular contributor to the arts magazine Hyperallergic, Quinn is a sought-after speaker on women and art.
Registration for this program is required and a valid email address is required at the time of registration. Participants will receive an email invitation a day before the program begins.
If you have any questions, please email askus@hudson.lib.oh.us or call (330) 653-6658 x1010.
