Alias Olympia

By Eunice Lipton

Book Overview

Eunice Lipton was a fledging art historian when she first became intrigued by Victorine Meurent, the nineteenth-century model who appeared in Edouard Manet's most famous paintings, only to vanish from history in a haze of degrading hearsay. But had this bold and spirited beauty really descended into prostitution, drunkenness, and early death -- or did her life, hidden from history, take a different course altogether? Eunice Lipton's search for the answer combines the suspense of a detective story with the revelatory power of art, peeling off ayers of lies to reveal startling truths about Victorine Meurent -- and about Lipton herself.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684194171
• ISBN13: 9780684194172
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Good read!

As an art lover and as I writer, the author's style of blending fact with conjecture was very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Alias Olympia - What a Surprise

My girlfriend was going to do a musical about Victorine, so she spent years researching the subject, and offered Eunice Lipton 300 pages of research for free. Imagine our surprise to read the book's first edition and find out that she had characterized my girlfriend as someone with a drinking problem. There was a LITTLE PROBLEM with that. My girlfriend has been a lifelong TEETOTALER and had never met Eunice! The book fails to describe Victorine, and it never delved into her COMPETENCY as an artist. It also doesn't mention enough famous works by famous artists that Victorine modelled for, so don't stop there when it comes to research.

A book that makes you want to give up and start living!

Alias Olympia is a personal biography of Eunice Lipton's search for Victorine Meurent, the woman who modled for Manet's Olympia. Not only does this book inspire one to go out and look for the truth they believe in their heart to be true, but it also provides hope for those who believe that one person can still make a difference. Lipton's journey through history provides a longing yet frustrating ride through a world geared souly for men. By the end of this book I was in love and I wanted to spit at the same time. It is motivating; a look at the purpose of our lives and how we may be fulfilled. With this book in hand I feel like I could set out and discover anything I set my mind to.