In 1600s Amsterdam, two women—a painter and her assistant—defy the norms of their time as they take on the male-dominated art world and fall in love—from “fantastic prose writer” (Vulture) and “true master” (Guernica), Victoria Redel.

“I loved I Am You in a way that’s different from other books I have loved. Victoria Redel masterfully evokes the rich period of Golden Age Amsterdam and the centrality of its artists. Against this vivid and brilliantly detailed backdrop, the story of a female painter and her assistant comes to life, captivating us with its insights on time, art, sexual politics, class, women’s rights, and how we tell and retell our histories. It is spellbinding, wonderfully atmospheric, and impossible to forget.” —Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit

“Myself, a constant transformation—girl child to boy servant to budding girl, maid to painter to lover, every shift managed for a purpose. For Maria. For our future.”
An unforgettable love story about sex, art, and politics in 1600s Amsterdam.

At age eight, Gerta Pieters is dressed as a boy and put to work in the service of the Oosterwijcks, a genteel Dutch family. When Gerta catches the eye of the young Maria Oosterwijck, Gerta’s asked to accompany her to Amsterdam, where Maria will study under a noteworthy Dutch artist.

In Amsterdam, Maria rises in the ranks of society as a prodigy of still life painting. From the shadows, Gerta watches her ascension and learns to make herself invaluable to Maria in more ways than one. As their relationship evolves, Gerta may come to be more intrinsic to Maria’s personal life—and her art—than even she could have imagined.

Inspired by the little that is known about skilled still life painter Maria van Oosterwijck’s life, I Am You is a love story, a meditation on gender, and an ode to artistic creation. Victoria Redel’s novel brings to life the copious spoils of Amsterdam’s Golden Age, and the perils that lay hidden within them for women like Maria and Gerta.