A Woman Possessed is an early example of Fischl’s decades-long exploration of figurative, often psychologically charged, subject matter. Unusual for the artist, the work is also autobiographical. It depicts a scene from Fischl’s childhood when he discovered his mother collapsed outside of their home, a tragic result of her alcoholism. A pack of dogs prevents him from intervening, a seeming metaphor for the powerlessness of a young child in the face of such trauma. The work is rich with details including the station wagon, yellow bike, schoolbooks, and even the reflection of the blue sky in the car window, that all suggest an idealized suburban childhood. The collapsed figure of his mother physically cuts across and interrupts the composition, disrupting this otherwise idyllic realm.
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the artist (from 1981; on consignment to Mary Boone Gallery; sold by Mary Boone Gallery to Sable and Hushion); Jared Sable and Nancy Hushion, Toronto (in 1983; sold to Braman); Braman Collection, Miami (until 2015; sold in 2015 to Skarstedt); Per Skarstedt, New York (2015–24; gift to MMA)
Montréal. Sir George Williams Art Galleries, Concordia University. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," March 16–April 9, 1983, unnumbered cat. (lent by Jared Sable and Nancy Hushion, Toronto, Ont.).
Saskatoon. Mendel Art Gallery. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," February 8–March 17, 1985, no. 6 (lent by Sable-Castelli Gallery Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
Eindhoven. Stedelijk van Abbemuseum. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," April 6–May 5, 1985, no. 6.
London. Institute of Contemporary Arts. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," July 15–August 21, 1985, no. 6.
Toronto. Art Gallery of Ontario. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," September 21–November 3, 1985, no. 6.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. "Eric Fischl: Paintings," November 22, 1985–February 2, 1986, no. 6.
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. "Mythic Proportions: Painting in the 1980s," February 16–May 13, 2001, unnumbered cat. (p. 32; lent by Irma and Norman Braman).
Water Mill, N.Y. Parrish Art Museum. "Unfinished Business: Paintings from the 1970s and 1980s by Ross Bleckner, Eric Fischl, and David Salle," August 7–October 16, 2016, unnumbered cat. (pp. 46–47; lent by a private collection, courtesy Skarstedt, New York).
Sandra Paikowsky. Eric Fischl: Paintings. Exh. cat., Sir George Williams Art Galleries, Concordia University. Montréal, [1983], unpaginated, ill.
Donald B. Kuspit inEric Fischl: Paintings. Exh. cat., Mendel Art Gallery. Saskatoon, 1985, p. 13, no. 6, ill.
Sheila Robertson. "Fischl's Nudes Tend to Threaten Viewers." Star-Phoenix (February 16, 1985), p. 16.
Peter Schjeldahl. Eric Fischl. Ed. David Whitney. New York, 1988, pp. 15–16, fig. 38 (color).
Robert Enright. "Fischl on Fischl." Eric Fischl: 1970–2000. New York, 2000, ill. p. 45 (color).
Damarys Ocaña. "Eighties Flashback: MoCA Show Reveals Greed–and Glory–of That Decade's Art." Miami Herald (April 6–12, 2001), p. 46, ill.
Eric Fischl and Michael Stone. Bad Boy: My Life On and Off the Canvas. New York, 2012, p. 195, ill. n.p. (color).
Holly Fischl Giloth in Eric Fischl and Michael Stone. Bad Boy: My Life On and Off the Canvas. New York, 2012, p. 43.
David Pagel in David Pagel. Unfinished Business: Paintings from the 1970s and 1980s by Ross Bleckner, Eric Fischl and David Salle. Exh. cat., Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, N.Y. Munich, 2016, p. 20, ill. pp. 46–47 (color).
Eric Ernst. "Art Review: How Bleckner, Fischl and Salle Gave New Life to Painting." hamptonsarthub.com. August 16, 2016, ill. (color).
Ken Johnson. "Searching for Light in the Darkness of the '80s." New York Times (August 19, 2016), p. C20.
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