Are You Ready for a Marina Abramović Memoir?

Marina Abramovic.
Photo: Patrick McMullan.

The self-proclaimed “grandmother of performance art” has never been one to shy away from the limelight, and it appears she has no plans to start now. The New York Times reports that Crown Archetype, a trade book publisher at Penguin Random House, will publish a Marina Abramović memoir, in which she will tell the story of her journey from a young girl living in Yugoslavia to being one of the world’s most famous living artists. The book will be released in the fall of 2016, to coincide with Abramović’s 70th birthday.

Readers will reportedly get to hear about Abramović’s evolution as an artist, continually testing her own limits of physical and mental endurance by performing actions like starving, burning, cutting, and whipping herself. Molly Stern, senior vice president and publisher of Crown Archetype, called Abramović “a born storyteller with a unique voice and original point of view.”

But we’re not-so-secretly hoping for some more juicy stuff. You know, rubbing elbows with celebrities (see Marina Abramović Brings Bed Performance to Golden Globes Pre-Party), her ever-tumultuous romantic life (see How 8 Art World Power Couples Met and Fell In Love), and her friendship with controversial director Roman Polanski (see Marina Abramović and Roman Polanski Team Up for New Film). Also, what are Klaus Biesenbach and Lady Gaga really like?

While we’ll have to wait a few months to see if any of these topics will be addressed in the memoir, Abramović said in a statement, “My experiences have always been a big part of my work—they’re the source of everything I do, they’re my inspiration. I hope that by sharing my story, I can give people the courage to do the things they’re afraid to do in their own lives.”


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