LADY WITH A BROOCH IBD

Sinopsis

A brooch. A violin.áAágenealogical mystery. An unfinished portrait.Lady witháaáBroochábegins witháaásimple question: who was the arresting, enigmatic woman portrayed ináEdvard Munch',s famous 1903álithograph?á From there, by twists and turns, the book follows the dramatic, improbable adventuresáof Eva Mudocci--a violinist who won renown across Europe in the early decades of the 20th century performing on the priceless Golden Emiliani Stradivarius.áA striking figure on and off the stage, Mudocci inspired portraits byácelebrated artists--including not only Munch (famed painter of The Scream), but also Henri Matisse.áThen, as two wars reshaped Europe&rsquo,s cultural landscape, Eva Mudocci was forgotten. Until now!áIn her foreword, Munch scholar and collector Sarah Epstein writes, Rima Shore, a dedicated scholar, traveled widely over six yearsáyears, following every lead in order to trace Eva and Bella&rsquo,s lives, careers, families, and friends, as well as the relationship of these two women. The book is the fruit of dozens of interviews, in many countries, which revealed previously hidden stories, letters, documents, and news items.New questions emerged as the research progressed. How did the violinist--born Evangeline Hope Muddock and known in her youth by the stage nameáMiss Rose Lynton--transform into the enigmatic Madame Eva Mudocci? How did a middle-class teen from Brixton--raised by a single mother--come to play on a world famous Stradivarius? What happened to the violin? How did the family gain and then lose a small fortune?áLady with a Brooch solves all of these mysteries.Perhaps most compelling is this question: Who was the father of the twins born in 1908 to Mudocci--who never married? Mudocci took this secret to her grave. In 2012, her granddaughter stunned viewers of a televized interview when she announced that she had reason to believe her grandfather might be Edvard Munch.áEarly in 2013, author Rima Shore tracked down Mudocci',s granddaughter to learn more. Over time, she solved this mystery as well, and in the process filled in the outlines of Mudocci',s fascinatingálife and career--sketchy until now.ááThe book offersáinsight into Mudocci',s devoted relationship with Bella Edwards and exploresáthe challenges faced by women musicians in a time and place uniquely hostile to their success.á Eva Mudocci',s portrait becomes a launchpad for exploring the artistic and cultural milieus in which she and Bella lived and worked.áMoving from Victorian England through Belle Epoque France and pre-war Germany and Scandinavia to the chaos of two world wars and their aftermath, the book explores the workings of family secrets and reflects the power of love and friendship in a turbulent world.ááThe final chapter answersáone last question:áWho was the unknown artist who created an unfinished oil painting of Mudocci that has hung for years in a Minnesota dining room? Why was it never completed?áCould it be Edvard Munch?á If so, h