L'Origine
Book Feature - L'Origine by Lilianne Milgrom
HBL Note: I adore history. I adore art. I adore Paris. This book has all three of those things, plus it has controversy and scandal to keep those pages turning. The protagonist in the novel is the painting itself, which should be a fresh take on historical fiction…perfect for those fans who are looking for a departure from the same old-same old. Lilianne Milgrom spent 10 years researching and writing this book, I can’t wait to hear what you think! Scroll down to read more.
Book Feature - L'Origine by Lilianne Milgrom
Book Feature - L'Origine by Lilianne Milgrom
From the publisher:
In 1866, maverick French artist Gustave Courbet painted one of the most iconic images in the history of art: a sexually explicit portrait of a woman’s exposed genitals. Audaciously titled L’Origine du monde (The Origin of the World), the scandalous painting was kept hidden for a century and a half. Today, it hangs in the world-renowned Orsay Museum in Paris, viewed by millions of visitors a year.
As the first artist authorized by the Orsay Museum to re-create Courbet’s The Origin of the World, author Lilianne Milgrom was thrust into the painting’s intimate orbit, spending six weeks replicating every fold, crevice, and pubic hair. The experience inspired her to share her story and the painting’s riveting clandestine history with readers beyond the confines of the art world.
L’Origine is an entertaining and superbly researched work of historical fiction that traces the true story of the painting’s unlikely tale of survival, replete with French revolutionaries, Turkish pashas, and nefarious Nazi captains. But L’Origine is more than a riveting romp through history—it also sheds light on society’s complex relationship with the female body.
Book Feature - L'Origine by Lilianne Milgrom
