Author Carolyn Burke will present a lecture, “Lee Miller: On Both Sides of the Camera,” on Thursday, February 22, at 12 p.m. in the Hampton Room of the Malott Commons, Scripps College. A book signing will follow the event. The lecture is free and open to the public; reservations are required for the accompanying luncheon. Tickets for the lunch can be purchased for $15 or with a Claremont Colleges student, faculty, or staff meal card. For more information and to make reservations, please contact the Malott Commons Office at (909) 607-9372.
A unique individual admired as much for her free spirit, creativity, and intelligence as for her classical beauty, Lee Miller (1907-1977) is one of the most renowned icons of the 20th century. She modeled for Vogue before becoming one of the first women war photographers during World War II. Her harrowing images of a devastated Europe were printed in the June 1945 issue of the fashion magazine. The New York Times Book Review calls Miller “a forgotten visionary photographer…one of the few women able to become an artistic force in her own right.”
Carolyn Burke, a biographer, art critic, and translator, is the author of Lee Miller: A Life. Burke had the opportunity to meet Miller in 1977. Through Miller’s body of work, Carolyn Burke explores the photographer’s journey from object to subject. The Economist calls Burke’s biography, “[a] sympathetic tribute, which sheds further light on the lives of this highly original, often misunderstood woman.” Burke received critical acclaim for her book Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy from The Washington Post (“[a] brilliant biographer”), The New Republic, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her articles have appeared in such magazines as Art In America and The New Yorker. Born in Australia, she now lives in Santa Cruz, California.