Acclaimed multimedia artist Lynn Hershman Leeson has released a deeply personal memoir titled 'Private I,' published by Ze Books on November 4, offering readers an intimate look into her artistic evolution and family history. The autobiography chronicles her journey from a non-speaking child in 1940s Cleveland to becoming a pioneering figure in contemporary art, exploring themes of identity, survival, and creative resilience.
The memoir's genesis began during the COVID-19 pandemic when Hershman Leeson witnessed the deaths of several close friends and collaborators. After reading poet Kevin Killian's moving obituary of artist Lutz Bacher in Frieze magazine, she reached out to request he write her own obituary. Killian's response proved prophetic, as he passed away before their planned meeting, along with other significant figures in her life including artist Carolee Schneemann, with whom she had attempted to trade artworks for three decades.
'Take your time or time takes you,' Hershman Leeson reflects, explaining how these losses motivated her to document her story. She structured the memoir following Jean-Luc Godard's approach to filmmaking, with a beginning, middle, and end, but not necessarily in that order. The artist describes her life's 'MacGuffin' – a plot device that sets characters in motion – as something she's writing the memoir to discover.
Born on June 17, 1941, as the third child in the Lester family, Hershman Leeson grew up in a modest home at 11507 Temblett Avenue in East Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother Stella worked as a lab technician and high school biology teacher, while her father Samuel struggled to manage his drugstore, Lester Drugs, which featured the era's typical ice cream and soda counter where all three children eventually worked as soda jerks.
The artist's early years were marked by a significant speech delay – she didn't speak until nearly age seven, leading her parents to worry she might be 'retarded.' During this silent period, she absorbed everything around her, particularly the resourcefulness of her immigrant grandparents. Her maternal grandparents, Rose and Martin, had fled Hungary decades before the Holocaust, though they rarely spoke of family members who likely perished.
Hershman Leeson's artistic sensibilities were profoundly shaped by her grandmother Rose, whom she calls 'Gram.' Together, they embarked on secret adventures to Thistledown Racetrack, where Gram demonstrated an uncanny ability to pick winning horses by speaking to them in Hungarian and observing subtle physical signs. These expeditions taught the young artist about the power of multiple identities and the 'disguise of banality' as a strategic approach.
The family's living situation reflected their economic circumstances – in their small two-bedroom apartment, Hershman Leeson slept in the hallway next to the bathroom while her brothers Gerald Arnold (born 1936) and Arthur Herbert (born 1939) shared one room with their parents in the other. Privacy was non-existent, and she never visited other children's homes or had visitors of her own.
Gram's influence extended beyond horse racing to various aspects of daily life that would later inform Hershman Leeson's artistic practice. At the kosher butcher shop, her grandmother transformed into an expert at evaluating live chickens, while her cooking skills had earned her a position with entrepreneur Abe Saperstein, founder and coach of the Harlem Globetrotters, making her one of the team's original investors.
The family's Friday night dinners showcased Gram's extraordinary baking skills, featuring traditional Hungarian dishes and desserts like palacsintas and somlói galuska. Hershman Leeson continues to make her grandmother's recipes several times a year, maintaining a connection to her heritage. The kitchen filled with these aromas created what she describes as 'the smell of a happy home.'
The memoir reveals previously unknown family connections, including the discovery of Gram's nephew who survived the Holocaust and opened a deli in their neighborhood, identifiable by the numbers tattooed on his arm. The paternal side of the family carried its own mysteries and tragedies, including grandfather Louis, an immaculately dressed insurance salesman who would appear unpredictably at the family drugstore before disappearing entirely. Years later, Hershman Leeson learned he had been murdered, though the circumstances were never explained.
Interestingly, the family lived near 10622 Kimberly Avenue, home to Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. Hershman Leeson notes the coincidence that having a secret identity might have been 'a common trait among East Cleveland Jews,' reflecting on how themes of transformation and hidden personas would later permeate her artistic work.
The memoir represents Hershman Leeson's attempt to ensure her artistic legacy survives, addressing her fear that 'no one will know who I was or anything about my work.' By honoring her family's request not to feature them prominently while still including necessary appearances, she has crafted a narrative that balances personal revelation with respect for privacy. The book serves as both artistic origin story and meditation on survival, identity, and the ways in which early experiences shape creative expression.
