Title: The Muralist
Author: B. A. Shapiro
Published: November 3, 2015 by Algonquin Books
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher at BEA
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
Alizée Benoit, an American painter working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), vanishes in New York City in 1940 amid personal and political turmoil. No one knows what happened to her. Not her Jewish family living in German-occupied France. Not her artistic patron and political compatriot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Not her close-knit group of friends, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. And, some seventy years later, not her great-niece, Danielle Abrams, who while working at Christie’s auction house uncovers enigmatic paintings hidden behind recently found works by those now famous Abstract Expressionist artists. Do they hold answers to the questions surrounding her missing aunt?
Entwining the lives of both historical and fictional characters, and moving between the past and the present, The Muralist plunges readers into the divisiveness of prewar politics and the largely forgotten plight of European refugees refused entrance to the United States. It captures both the inner workings of today’s New York art scene and the beginnings of the vibrant and quintessentially American school of Abstract Expressionism.
B.A. Shapiro is a master at telling a gripping story while exploring provocative themes. In Alizée and Danielle she has created two unforgettable women, artists both, who compel us to ask, What happens when luminous talent collides with inexorable historical forces? Does great art have the power to change the world? And to what lengths should a person go to thwart evil?
My review:
This is a wonderfully told story, and a fascinating look into some of the parts of WWII that I don't often read about. A lot of focus on the Works Progress Administration (WPA) highly regarded by Eleanor Roosevelt, the failure of the US to allow immigrants from Europe to enter the country, and the mental state of a lot of the artists of the time. I really appreciated this different perspective on the state of the world at that time. The story is told in alternating chapters by the artist Alizee (in the 40s) and present day Dani (her great niece), an art appraiser. The book has a bit of a mystery to it, as we follow Dani on her journey to find out what happened to her aunt by using some art pieces found taped to the back of Abstract artists paintings. Concurrent with this we have Alizee's story of her art creations, her relationships with other artists of the WPA, and her desperate struggle to free her family from Europe. We get insight into what was going on in Europe just prior to and during the war through letters sent to Alizee from various family members. Very well written, the characters were ones you really cared about finding resolution for.
I love the way this author seamlessly combines historical events with fiction to create a page turning novel. Make sure you also pick up her first book The Art Forger, which is equally as good.
