From Rubens to Juno Calypso to Yayoi Kusama , artists have long been drawn to mirrors’ reflective surfaces. More than 150 artworks have been collected in a new book, drawing together sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs and more. “Historically, a mirror in a painting was a lens into another world or visual space,” says the book’s author, artist Michael Petry. “They also allowed artists to show the viewer more than one view point at a time, suggesting the complexity of our world and our relationship to it.” Self-portraits, and increasingly selfies, are a recurring theme. “It is clear that as humans, we are amazingly interested in our own image. It could be mere vanity but also I think mirrors show us the passage of time etched on our faces.”
English (US)