An essential art history... This exceptional book reframes motherhood as an important position from which to make and understand art... It's inspiring to read along as [Hettie Judah] tackles the long overlooked cultural figure of the artist-mother with gravitas... There's plenty to discover no matter your familiarity with art, feminism or motherhood.

A remarkable book... there is much that is new and much to explore afresh.-- "Literary Review" (8/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)

Weaving rigorous research with around 150 images, Judah brings her characteristic precision to a subject that has only recently been given its due.-- "Hyperallergic" (9/13/2024 12:00:00 AM)

A sweeping survey of art by and about mothers [that] attempts . . . to establish a canon of women artists who have made muses out of motherhood . . . This comprehensive accounting of mothers in art history helps contextualize recent works by artist-mothers, many of which reference longstanding tropes . . . The book is most exhilarating when it traces the surprisingly long lineage of mothers whose art was influenced by childrearing . . . Acts of Creation joins a growing body of work that summons the past and surveys the present so that artist-mothers might enter new territory, where they can transcend the same old self-negating questions--if mothers can be artists, if motherhood can inspire good art--and focus instead on their own self-determination.-- "Hyperallergic" (10/15/2024 12:00:00 AM)

An eye-opening tour de force that challenges readers to consider what hangs in museums and what vanishes in the act of being born . . . With a keen curatorial eye, [Hettie Judah] has assembled an eclectic and expansive collection, from conceptions of the divine as goddess, saint, icon, nymph, and monster carved in bone and stone, to acts of motherhood reflected in paintings, drawings, prints, photography, and multimedia . . . It's a fresh approach to untangling some common misconceptions in the long history of art when it comes to mothers and motherhood while offering new ways of looking. It's also satisfying as women artists take up more of the museum space as we move towards the present day . . . Through the wide scope and sweep of Judah's deep analysis and commentary, readers will come away with a broader understanding and appreciation for the challenges and accomplishments of the mother-artist as cultural icon, as well as being introduced to new artists and work . . . A thrilling ride.-- "MER - Mom Egg Review" (11/7/2024 12:00:00 AM)

Some of our most ancient art works depicted motherhood, and the subject of Madonna and child was a Renaissance favorite. In the 20th and 21st centuries, female artists pondered their own complex feelings--and it's not always pretty, as this provocative volume attests.-- "The Boston Globe, Holiday Gift Guide 2024" (11/22/2024 12:00:00 AM)

Acts of Creation contains analysis and contextualization of a variety of well-known examples of artists' works whose subject matter engage the theme of motherhood. This includes the depiction of mother and child through time in art, the politicization of childbearing, and the myth of the mother and child as archetype across art history dating as far back as 6000 BC . . . A complicated and complex artistic feminist perspective on a much ignored subject in art and the history of labor.-- "Choice"