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A review by thephdivabooks
Still Lives by Maria Hummel
5.0
A famous and provocative painter goes missing on the night of her latest exhibition’s debut. The subject of her exhibition, Still Lives, depicts paintings of herself posed as famous murder victims from Los Angeles. The museum’s writer, Maggie, finds herself at the center of the investigation as her personal and professional lives become entangled…
A dark and striking commentary on our fixation with the macabre and the sensationalization of famous murder cases, as well as on the lucrative and often twisted web of notoriety and success in the art world. I absolutely loved this thriller!
The famous and enigmatic artist Kim Lord has made a name for herself by shocking her audiences. Her latest exhibition Still Lives really pushes the boundaries of the provocative nature of art. The exhibition features paintings of Kim herself posed as famous photos of LA murder victims (e.g., the Black Dahlia, Nicole Brown Simpson). I thought the play on the term still lives for this purpose was really clever!
Kim was such a mysterious figure in the book, which is narrated by Maggie—a writer for the Roque Museum where Kim’s show is being featured. In a cruel twist, Kim is also the current girlfriend of Maggie’s ex-boyfriend Greg. The woman he left her for. Now, when Kim goes missing on the night of her premiere, Maggie finds herself woven into the investigation. Greg and Maggie are natural sources of interest for the police.
Maggie herself has quite a dark past. I won’t reveal it here, but I loved the way it tied in with the current events in the book. I also really enjoyed the commentary that Hummel makes on the artworld and the tie between investors, the public, and the artist themselves. The whole part about super collectors was fascinating, and I actually slowed down to read it because I was so interested in Hummel’s points.
The ending is one I would never have guessed, and it was also kind of perfect. Both the reveal of what had happened, as well as the aftermath and what it all meant. This was a book with so many layers to it, and I really loved it!
“I hate this artwork,” Maggie thinks, standing in the gallery, fretting about Lord’s disappearance. “I hate the abject powerlessness it projects. I hate it because it reminds me there is an end for women worse than death.”
A dark and striking commentary on our fixation with the macabre and the sensationalization of famous murder cases, as well as on the lucrative and often twisted web of notoriety and success in the art world. I absolutely loved this thriller!
The famous and enigmatic artist Kim Lord has made a name for herself by shocking her audiences. Her latest exhibition Still Lives really pushes the boundaries of the provocative nature of art. The exhibition features paintings of Kim herself posed as famous photos of LA murder victims (e.g., the Black Dahlia, Nicole Brown Simpson). I thought the play on the term still lives for this purpose was really clever!
Kim was such a mysterious figure in the book, which is narrated by Maggie—a writer for the Roque Museum where Kim’s show is being featured. In a cruel twist, Kim is also the current girlfriend of Maggie’s ex-boyfriend Greg. The woman he left her for. Now, when Kim goes missing on the night of her premiere, Maggie finds herself woven into the investigation. Greg and Maggie are natural sources of interest for the police.
Maggie herself has quite a dark past. I won’t reveal it here, but I loved the way it tied in with the current events in the book. I also really enjoyed the commentary that Hummel makes on the artworld and the tie between investors, the public, and the artist themselves. The whole part about super collectors was fascinating, and I actually slowed down to read it because I was so interested in Hummel’s points.
The ending is one I would never have guessed, and it was also kind of perfect. Both the reveal of what had happened, as well as the aftermath and what it all meant. This was a book with so many layers to it, and I really loved it!
“I hate this artwork,” Maggie thinks, standing in the gallery, fretting about Lord’s disappearance. “I hate the abject powerlessness it projects. I hate it because it reminds me there is an end for women worse than death.”