I Shock Myself: Beatrice Wood, Career Woman of Art

I Shock Myself is the extraordinary memoir of Beatrice Wood — artist, writer, ceramicist, feminist icon, and beloved grande dame of the American avant-garde. Sometimes called “the Mama of Dada,” Wood offers an intimate and humorous look into her life, relationships, and artistic journey across nearly a century of cultural revolution.

From her early involvement with the Dada movement in New York to her later international fame as a ceramicist, Wood’s story traverses the 20th century with wit, wisdom, and complete candor. She shares vivid encounters with figures such as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and countless other artists, writers, and spiritual seekers who shaped the world of modern art.

Lavishly illustrated with her own works and photographs, I Shock Myself is both a personal testament and an important piece of 20th-century art history — a must-have for collectors of modern art, feminist studies, ceramics, and biography.