Women Holding Things

Maira and Alex Kalman's "Women Holding Things" is a collection of words and paintings that explore the beauty and complexity of women's lives and roles, revealed in the things they hold. The booklet sold out, and the Kalmans have expanded it into a visual compendium with sixty-seven new paintings and anecdotes. The paintings feature women, both ordinary and famous, holding a range of objects, from mundane to abstract. Kalman's work celebrates life, the act and art of living, and offers an original way of examining and understanding all that is important in our world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

From the acclaimed artist, designer, and author of the bestsellers The Principles of Uncertainty and My Favorite Things comes a wondrous collection of words and paintings that is a moving meditation on the beauty and complexity of women's lives and roles, revealed in the things they hold.

"What do women hold? The home and the family. And the children and the food. The friendships. The work. The work of the world. And the work of being human. The memories. And the troubles. And the sorrows and the triumphs. And the love."

In the spring of 2021, Maira and Alex Kalman created a small, limited-edition booklet "Women Holding Things," which featured select recent paintings by Maira, accompanied by her insightful and deeply personal commentary. The booklet quickly sold out. Now, the Kalmans have expanded that original publication into this extraordinary visual compendium.

Women Holding Things includes the bright, bold images featured in the booklet as well as an additional sixty-seven new paintings highlighted by thoughtful and intimate anecdotes, recollections, and ruminations. Most are portraits of women, both ordinary and famous, including Virginia Woolf, Sally Hemings, Hortense Cezanne, Gertrude Stein, as well as Kalmans family members and other real-life people. These women hold a range of objects, from the mundane—balloons, a cup, a whisk, a chicken, a hat—to the abstract—dreams and disappointments, sorrow and regret, joy and love.

Kalman considers the many things that fit physically and metaphorically between women's hands: We see a woman hold a book, hold shears, hold children, hold a grudge, hold up, hold her own. In visually telling their stories, Kalman lays bare the essence of women's lives—their tenacity, courage, vulnerability, hope, and pain. Ultimately, she reveals the profound connection between women and the things they hold, showcasing the power and beauty of their lives.

Weight: 646g
Dimension: 220 x 178 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780062846679