The Art of the Woman

The Art of the Woman explores the life of GermanbornElisabet Ney, a flamboyant sculptor who transfixed the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and left the court of the half-mad Ludwig of Bavaria SAILING TIMES AT Mfor America to put down new roots in Texas.Born in 1833, Ney gained notoriety in Europe by sculpting the busts of such figures as Ludwig II, Schopenhauer, Garibaldi, and Bismarck. In 1871 she abruptly emigrated to America and becamesomething of a recluse until resuming her sculptingcareer two decades later. In Texas, she was knownfor stormy relationships with officials, patrons,and women’s organizations. Her works includedsculptures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austinand are exhibited in the state and US capitols as wellas the Smithsonian.

Emily Fourmy Cutrer’s biography of Ney makesextensive use of primary sources and was the firstto appraise both Ney’s legend and individual worksof art. Cutrer argues that Ney was an accomplishedsculptor coming out of a neglected Germanneoclassical tradition and that, whatever her failuresand eccentricities, she was an important catalyst tocultural activity in Texas.