In 1982, when the Museum of Modern Art held its first major retrospective for Louise Bourgeois, the renowned artist was already 70 years old. The exhibition was intended to celebrate and solidify her artistic legacy, recognizing more than half a century of creative work. However, Bourgeois would continue creating for another 28 years until her death, producing some of her most innovative and acclaimed pieces during this final chapter of her life.
This phenomenon of late-life artistic flourishing among women is the focus of Susan Gubar's compelling new book "Grand Finales: The Creative Longevity of Women Artists." The feminist scholar and literary critic argues that women artists have historically discovered tremendous creative freedom in old age, finally liberated from domestic responsibilities, sexual objectification, and male dominance that may have constrained their earlier work.
Gubar's book profiles nine remarkable women artists, including visual artists Bourgeois and Georgia O'Keeffe, to establish a clear lineage of creatives who completely reinvented themselves during their final years. The 80-year-old author acknowledges that her research stems not only from scholarly curiosity about the relationship between creativity and aging, but also from a deeply personal quest for role models who could teach her "how to age with mojo, with panache, with bravura performances of geezer machismo."
The book organizes these women into three distinct categories based on their paths to late-life creative success. The "lovers" group includes O'Keeffe and writers George Eliot and Colette, who found renewed energy through relationships with younger men. O'Keeffe, despite her prickly personality, experienced a remarkable transformation when she left New York for New Mexico, escaping the shadow of her philandering husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, and creating her most iconic artwork.
The "mavericks" category features Bourgeois, writer Isak Dinesen, and poet Marianne Moore, who used their unconventional sensibilities to challenge and undermine stereotypes about elderly women. Meanwhile, the "sages" - including jazz pianist-composer Mary Lou Williams, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and dancer-choreographer Katherine Dunham - found late-life inspiration through their commitment to social justice causes.
Gubar's analysis reveals how the physical constraints of aging can actually create opportunities for artistic innovation. Bourgeois's sculptures, for example, initially grew to enormous proportions before eventually shrinking to smaller sizes that she could manage while working at a table in a wheelchair. Similarly, O'Keeffe adapted to losing her central vision at age 84 by switching from oils to more manageable mediums like watercolor, pastel, and graphite.
The author doesn't romanticize the aging process, acknowledging from personal experience that it brings numerous losses, from physical strength and mobility to beloved friends and family members. However, she finds inspiration in the remarkable dynamism and adaptability of her subjects, many of whom created their most ambitious and original work as they approached life's end.
While some of the book's in-depth artistic analyses may seem academically dense to readers seeking straightforward inspiration, they provide valuable insights for those interested in literary criticism and art history. Gubar's research demonstrates that creativity functions like a muscle - one that either grows stronger with use or weakens from neglect - and offers enormous benefits as people age.
The artistic projects undertaken by these women provided both purpose and comfort as they navigated physical impairments and personal grief. Rather than accepting society's expectations and retreating to what Gubar calls "Little-Old-Lady-Land," they chose to continue searching, pushing boundaries, and experimenting with new approaches to their craft.
"Grand Finales" ultimately presents a rigorous and intellectually stimulating portrait of the artist as an older woman, though some biographical sketches prove more engaging than others. Above all, Gubar writes, these remarkable women shared "an in-your-face audacity that bespeaks a drive to keep on realizing one's own potential," offering hope and inspiration for anyone facing the challenges and opportunities of aging.
