The first major survey of artist Katherine Bradford, renowned for her wholly personal paintings of swimmers, bathers, and superheroes.

Known for her vibrant palette and eccentric compositions, Katherine Bradford came to prominence late in life, when her unique style of painting finally garnered critical acclaim in the art world. The artist’s paintings are populated by a wide-ranging cast of characters—from swimmers to superheroes to, most recently, mothers—who anchor and connect her work across time and media. Her figures, who often defy society’s expectations of women (and other gender norms), thus serve as surrogates for a mother, painter, and lesbian coming of age at the turn of the twenty-first century. Featuring more than twenty years of her work, Flying Woman: The Paintings of Katherine Bradford considers the artist’s many themes, her ongoing exploration of different painterly modes, and her lifelong fascination with color.

About The Author

Jaime DeSimone is the Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic Curator of Contemporary Art at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. Nancy Princenthal is a New York–based art writer.