Xochitl Gonzalez Wants to Reframe Art History
Xochitl Gonzalez’s sophomore novel, Anita de Monte Laughs Last, draws from the life and work of performance artist Ana Mendieta, fictionalized as the book’s titular character, who was murdered by her husband (and fellow artist) Carl Andre in 1985. Interweaving Anita’s story with that of an Ivy League art history student named Raquel, set 10 years later, Gonzalez examines the intersecting, and often opposing, forces of race, power, and art. I talked with Gonzalez about Mendieta’s legacy, her own complicated experience at an Ivy League university, and drawing art from life.
Liv Albright: What initially drew you to Ana
