Alice Baber: An Artist's Triumph Over Tragedy -- Gail Levin, Hardcover

The definitive biography of abstract artist Alice Baber, whose luminous and beloved works took the world by storm.

From one of the most acclaimed art biographers writing today comes the surprising life of Alice Baber, who produced exquisite abstract paintings of vibrantly colored shapes that created an illusion of floating light. Heralded as an "artist of lyrical abstractions," Baber's paintings had already entered the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney at the time of her premature death at just fifty-four. How could such an accomplished and visionary artist then fall into near obscurity?

In Alice Baber, the artist's fascinating story is finally revealed, despite concerted efforts to consign her to oblivion. Levin's book is a vital corrective to the history of American art and a thrilling opportunity for the next generation experience Baber anew. Vividly written and richly detailed, we journey through her rural upbringing to her years exhibiting around the world and experience the heady mid-century art world in all its glory.

Levin's dynamic prose brings to life this synesthetic artist who links color to both movement and sound. We witness Baber's talent and ambition, her tenacity and charm, and learn how her feminist activism and her work as a curator helped other artists. Alice Baber: An Artist's Triumph Over Tragedy is an insightful and stunning portrait that resurrects a central figure in modern art.

Author: Gail Levin
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 02/03/2026
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9798897100408

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2025

About the Author
Gail Levin is the author of Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography, Becoming Judy Chicago, Lee Krasner: A Biography and many other books on twentieth-century and contemporary art. She is Distinguished Professor of Art History, American Studies, and Women's Studies at the Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York.