Abstract
Brown provides a striking insight into the peculiar complexities of writing the biographies of contemporary artists. Focusing on the ballerinas Sylvie Guillem and Misty Copeland, the chapter describes how qualitative research can be hampered by the repetitive and superficial evidence available on the public record. Brown demonstrates how she constructed their life stories from disparate sources including YouTube videos, TV documentaries and media profile pieces. She reflects on what the nature of this evidence reveals about shifting views on artistry and celebrity, suggesting that the present moment favours an intimate and confessional relationship with the contemporary artist.
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Brown, J. (2020). Writing the Contemporary Ballerina: Sylvie Guillem, Misty Copeland and Lessons in Biography. In: Wiley, C., Pace, I. (eds) Researching and Writing on Contemporary Art and Artists. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39233-8_8
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