The fascinating true stories of thirty incredible musesand their role in some of art historys most well-known masterpieces.We instantly recognize many of their faces from the worlds most iconic artworksbut just who was Picassos Weeping Woman? Or the burglar in Francis Bacons oeuvre? Why was Grace Jones covered in graffiti? Far from posing silently, muses have brought emotional support, intellectual energy, career-changing creativity, and practical help to artists. However, the perception of the muse is that of a passive, powerless model (usually young, attractive, and female) at the mercy of an influential and older male artist. Could this impression be incorrect and unfair? Is this trope a romanticized myth? Have people embraced, even sought, the status of muse? Most importantly, where would artists be without them? In Muse, Ruth Millingtons goal is to re-assess and re-claim that word in a celebratory narrative that takes ownership and demonstrates how outdated the common perception o