Dancers & Choreographers - Biography, Modern Dance

Josephine Baker: Image and Icon

Name: Josephine Baker: Image and Icon
Author: Olivia Lahs-Gonzales
ISBN: 9781933370026

by Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Tyler Stovall, Bennetta Jules Rosette, Bennetta Jules-Rosette

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Overview

Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906, Josephine Baker ran away from home at age thirteen to join a traveling road show. Later, after touring the country as a dancer, she left the United States for Paris. There, she starred in the groundbreaking musical revue La Revue Negre and quickly became the toast of Paris and Europe. Her versatility and flair for performance complemented Paris in the 1920s-which embraced the Charleston and a progressive new musical language called jazz. Created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the celebrated African American entertainer, Josephine Baker: Image and Icon uses lavish illustrations and informative essays to tell the story of a legendary performer whose appeal transcended race, country, and culture. This rich, once-in-a-lifetime volume gathers photographs, posters, drawings, prints, and sculpture to tell the story of Baker's life and contributions to 20th century culture. An essay by Bennetta Jules-Rosette offers a biographical overview of the performer's career, and Olivia Lahs-Gonzales places Baker in context as Modern Woman. Josephine Baker: Image and Icon, through words and rare images, captures the beauty of a groundbreaking artist and her significance. It also serves as the companion to the exhibit opening April 21, 2006, at The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis.

Synopsis

Created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the celebrated African American entertainer, Josephine Baker: Image and Icon uses lavish illustrations and informative essays to tell the story of a legendary performer whose appeal transcended race, country, and culture. This rich, once-in-a-lifetime volume gathers photographs, posters, drawings, prints, and sculpture to tell the story of Baker's life and contributions to 20th century culture. An essay by Bennetta Jules-Rosette offers a biographical overview of the performer's career, and Olivia Lahs-Gonzales places Baker in context as Modern Woman.

Josephine Baker: Image and Icon, through words and rare images, captures the beauty of a groundbreaking artist and her significance. It also serves as the companion to the exhibit opening April 21, 2006, at The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis.

About the Author, Olivia Lahs-Gonzales

Bennetta Jules Rosette is a professor of sociology at the University of California-San Diego and author of the forthcoming book Two Loves: Josephine Baker in Art and Life (University of Illinois Press, 2006).

Olivia Lahs-Gonzales is the director of The Sheldon Art Galleries and curator of the exhibit Josephine Baker: Image and Icon.

Tyler Stovall, Professor, History and Program Chair, France-Berkeley Fund, Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light (Houghton Mifflin Press, 1996).