Muse

Uncovering the hidden figures behind art history's masterpieces

Artists have always been moved to create portraits of their muses; we instantly recognise many of their faces from the world's most iconic artworks. But, just who was Picasso's 'Weeping Woman'? Why was Grace Jones covered in graffiti? How did Francis Bacon meet the burglar who became his muse?

The perception of the muse is that of a passive, powerless model, usually young, attractive and female, at the mercy of an influential and older male artist. But is this trope a romanticised myth? Have individuals embraced, or even sought, the status of muse? Far from posing silently, muses have brought emotional support, intellectual energy, career-changing creativity and practical help to artists - and where would those artists be without them?

With examples from the ancient world to today, this book will tell the true stories of the incredible muses who have inspired art history's masterpieces. From Leonardo da Vinci's studio to the covers of Vogue, Muse will uncover the remarkable role of muses in some of art history's most well-known and significant masterpieces. By delving into the real-life relationships that models have held with the artists who immortalised them, it will expose the influential and active part they have played.

From a job centre supervisor in London and young men on the streets of Harlem to weavers in Bangladesh, Muse will reveal the unexpected, overlooked and forgotten models of art history. Featuring performing models and devoted parents, creative allies and muses who have been turned into messages, this book will deconstruct reductive stereotypes, and reframe the muse as a momentous and empowered agent of art history.

About the Author

Ruth Millington is an art historian, writer and critic. After studying art history during an MA at the University of Oxford, Ruth Millington spent five years working for museums and galleries across the UK, including the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art and renowned modern art dealership Connaught Brown. She is an art expert on radio and TV, including BBC Breakfast, Woman's Hour, ITV News, BBC WM Radio, Radio 4's Today programme and in a Sky Arts documentary on Cold War Steve, entitled 'Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World'. Ruth has had writing featured across national newspapers, including the Telegraph, the i, The Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Express, , She is also a regular contributor to Art UK, writing features that bring art history to life through engaging stories and interviews with artists.

Working with museums and galleries, Ruth has written extended essays for exhibition catalogues on artists including Samin Ahmadzadeh, Annette Pugh, Shani Rhys James, Baltasar Lobo, Ben Nicholson and Julie van der Vaart. In 2019, Ruth wrote a catalogue on the artist Eric Tucker to accompany a major show at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, achieving national press coverage. Ruth lectures on art history, and has spoken at Coventry University, the University of Oxford and Sotheby's Institute of Art, where she is Head of the Careers Service.