pLong neglected by art historians, Anna-Eva Bergman 1909-87 was a painter of major importance who invested her work with an almost mystical ambition. The story of her life, told for the first time in this meticulously researched biography, is extraordinary a Norwegian childhood that was constantly overshadowed by fear a bohemian and adventurous youth that spanned much of Europe a career as an illustrator encounters in Nazi Germany increasingly severe health problems three marriages, two of which were to the same man Bergman's fellow artist Hans Hartung and a tragic end in the splendour of their villa in Antibes. pBut above all Bergman's was a life dedicated to creation, often in defiance of fashion. Only recently has the scale of her achievement begun to be adequately acknowledged. Bergman undoubtedly enjoyed a distinguished career, crossing paths with such key artists as Wassily Kandinsky, Pierre Soulages and Mark Rothko. In many respects, however, she remained a marginal figure--litt