Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Eurocentrism in the art world is one of this novel’s most important and well-developed themes. In both narrative timelines, Gonzalez explores the deeply white supremacist beliefs that underpin relationships between artists, important players within the world of art, and the general viewership, delivering a thorough critique of the notion that identity does not impact art.

Within this context, Anita is well aware that she is one of the few artists of color in the predominantly white art world of 1980s New York City. Although she is happy to be part of a small but growing cadre of artists who are diversifying this Eurocentric space, she experiences a great deal of prejudice because she is part of the first wave of artists of color to achieve mainstream success. She often observes the surprise that various members of the art world express when they hear that she has a new show or has sold an important piece, and she notes: “White men loved to use words that implied astonishment whenever women of color accomplished anything they deemed their ‘terrain’” (42). In addition to the lack of support that her work receives from people like gallerist Tilly Barber, Anita is viewed primarily through the lens of