Late last month, artist Audrey Flack passed away at the age of 93. Her photorealist paintings expressed a vision of the life of a woman as represented by colorful, if everyday, objects—fruit, cosmetics, flowers, desserts, photographs—while her large-scale sculptural projects heralded women who often were marginalized in history. Her art, as they say, spoke volumes, but there was more that she had to say, and a memoir, With Darkness Came Stars, which was published shortly before her death tells the story of her struggles—and those of other women of her generation and those a bit ahead of hers—making her way through an art world heavily dominated by male artists, dealers and museum officials.

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

The structure of this memoir is a bit contrived, told within the context of a creative block Flack experienced in the early 1980s: fleeing her studio to sit on a nearby park bench in Manhattan’s Upper West Side where she recalls her life and challenges. It is those recollections that form the bulk of the narrative. The block eventually disappears, and we are offered the story of her life and that of others she knew.

Flack attended New York City’s High School of Music & Art, later studying at Cooper Union and earning a Master’s degree at Yale Art School. Her parents, only modestly observant Jews, supported her educational ambitions, even though they themselves had received only limited schooling. “Too much education spoils a girl’s chance of getting married,” was her mother’s repeated mantra, but her parents ultimately were tolerant (mother) or supportive (father) of her desire to become an artist.

SEE ALSO: Eighteen........

© Observer