Melanie Klein was a Viennese psychoanalyst who extended the work of
Sigmund Freud in significant and innovative ways. She lived and worked
in the UK from 1926 until her death in 1959. During her life she was a
controversial and divisive figure and has remained so since her death;
conflict between the Freudian and Kleinian strands of psychoanalysis
dominated the history of psychoanalysis in the latter half of the
twentieth century. The reasons why she polarised opinion are multiple
and complex; partly they were related to her psychoanalytic ideas and
how she expressed them but they were also intrinsic to her personality.
In 2016, a pair of delicate low relief sculptures of Melanie Klein in
profile were re-discovered, having been hidden away for some eighty
years, and have been subsequently identified as the work of the sculptor
Oscar Nemon. Roger Amos was asked to write a brief article about these
sculptures for publication on the Melanie Klein Trust website. During
his research, he discovered that Klein had destroyed two significant
works of art depicting herself: one a bust by the same sculptor as the
low relief profiles, Oscar Nemon, and the other a portrait by William
Coldstream. This beautifully illustrated book is the first comprehensive
review of all attempts to portray Klein during her lifetime, from her
earliest childhood until her old age, including the work of painters,
sculptors, and portrait photographers. It reviews the history of each
artistic project and the relationship between Klein and the artist
involved, locating them in a narrative of Klein's life. The complex and
interrelated reasons why she chose to destroy some of the
representations of herself but kept others are identified and discussed.
Through an understanding of the subject/artist relationship, Amos
illuminates Klein's professional life in the world of psychoanalysis. A
must-read for all scholars and professionals working in the field of
psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and psychodynamic counselling, plus those
with an interest in Melanie Klein or aesthetics, this enjoyable read
shines a never-before seen light on to the world of Melanie Klein.
