The first book by Helene Cixous on painting and the contemporary arts. These 11 chapters bring together Helene Cixous' writings about specific contemporary artists and artworks. Neither simply 'art criticism' nor critical essays, Cixous responds to these artworks as a poet, reading them as if they were poems.
AUTHOR-APPROVED The Frontiers of Theory This series brings together internationally respected figures to comment on and re-describe the state of theory in the twenty-first century. Poetry in Painting: Writings on Contemporary Arts and Aesthetics Hélène Cixous Edited by Marta Segarra & Joana Masó 'An important collection of essays on art by one of France's leading writers and literary figures.' Mairead Hanrahan, Department of French, University College London 'It will likely surprise and delight English readers to realize the extent of Cixous' engagement with contemporary arts, in particular painting, photography and film, one that has been frequent, sustained and especially intense over the last few years.' Peggy Kamuf, Department of French, University of Southern California The first book by Hélène Cixous on painting and the contemporary arts. This collection gathers most of Hélène Cixous' short texts devoted to contemporary artists, such as the painter Nancy Spero, the photographer Andres Serrano, the visual artists Roni Horn and Ernest Pignon-Ernest, the fashion designer Sonia Rykiel and the choreographer Karine Saporta, among others. The artworks belong to different genres and media: photography, painting, installations, film, choreography and fashion design. Nevertheless, Hélène Cixous' texts all deal with some of her privileged themes: exile, war, violence (against women) and exclusion, as well as love, memory, beauty and tenderness. Neither art criticism nor critical essays, Hélène Cixous responds to these artworks as a poet, reading them as if they were poems. Written between 1985 and 2010, most of these essays are unpublished in English, or published only in rare catalogues or art books. Hélène Cixous is Professor of Literature and Director of the Centre d'Études Féminines at Université Paris VIII, Emerita. She is the author of more than 70 volumes of fiction, theory, essays and drama. Marta Segarra is Professor of French literature and
