Cassatt Reconsidered
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Pub Date Nov 24 2026 | Archive Date Oct 4 2026
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Description
A sweeping reconsideration of the artist we thought we knew—and the forces that obscured her legacy.
Fiercely ambitious and independent, Mary Cassatt defied expectations to become one of the most radical artists of the Impressionist movement, though she was—and remains—the least understood. Cassatt commanded and manipulated strains of old master and contemporary painting to express her female subjectivity through a brilliantly modern oeuvre on par with those of the most revered Impressionists. However, mishandled by the Parisian art establishment during her lifetime, and later by art historians and curators, she became known almost exclusively as a sentimentalizing painter of mothers and children.
How did this happen to the most aspiring, revolutionary female artist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? In Cassatt Reconsidered, author Mary G. Morton probes this central question and more, demonstrating how Cassatt disturbed conventional ideals of femininity, childhood, and maternity, an uncompromising feat for which she paid dearly during her lifetime and in the annals of art historiography.
Vibrantly illustrated with more than 100 images, Cassatt Reconsidered rewards readers with a fuller understanding of an artist who stands apart for daring to express, on her own terms, the unique, intimate experiences of modern women.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9798887120508 |
| PRICE | $35.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
Featured Reviews
Nancy A. B, Reviewer
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Mary Cassatt. Her legacy is presented in a new light in this book.
We learn how her conservative Catholic gallerist Paul Durant-Ruel controlled his artists’ subject matter based on marketability, pressuring Cassatt to paint domestic scenes with women and children. We learn of her place as a serious artist in the realist tradition, inspired by the Old Masters, and aligned with Edgar Degas and Gustave Courbet. Her feminist leaning are demonstrated with her work for the Woman’s Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Cassatt as a woman artist faced prejudice during her life and her work stereotyped after her death.
100 illustrations accompany the text, allowing readers to study the art while reading about it.
I was enthralled by the book and my love for Cassatt reinforced.
Thanks to Getty Publications for a free book through NetGalley.
Eileen K, Reviewer
Marie Cassatt, one of the few female artists of her period, relied on men to further her career. Recognized by male artists in her community, she was invited by Paul Durand Ruel, who coined the term “ Impressionism”, to exhibit in his shows. Unfortunately he was not consistent in his invitations. Venturing out she sold prints to Vollard; unhappy with his choices to exhibit, she returned to Durand Ruel. She interviewed with a biographer but was unhappy with the end result. She relied on her parents for financial support but had to provide for her materials, studio time and models. As a result, she often used family members for her portraits. When she exhibited in a suffrage movement fund raiser, some of them chose to boycott. In an attempt to break from her mother/child artist label, and not identifying with Impressionism, she traveled through Europe working on a Realist style. Her work at this point differs in subject and color. Cassatt seemed dissatisfied often, yet her works remain as proof to her talent. Aside from the maternal duties, she painted women as intelligent, reading and meditating. Louise Havemeyer described her as a true artist, staying true to her course. Mary G. Morton’s book is a treasury of her work, displaying various styles which deepens our appreciation of her talent.