On the Verge of Becoming is the first comprehensive monograph on the American artist Ann Leda Shapiro, whose visually arresting and symbolically layered works have challenged cultural taboos and institutional limits for over five decades. Shapiro works primarily in watercolor and drawing, developing delicate yet powerful works on paper that often incorporate symbolic and organic elements.

Edited by Christina Yuen Zi Chung and Catharina Manchanda, the book offers new feminist and decolonial readings of Shapiro’s work. It includes an in-depth conversation with artist Joyce Kozloff, as well as over 150 pages of full-color reproductions and archival materials. This publication is an essential contribution to feminist art history and a long-overdue recognition of a visionary artist whose work continues to resonate across generations and geographies.