Ida Applebroog is a radical feminist and one of the world’s most provocative artists. She was born in the Bronx in 1929, into an Orthodox Jewish family, and began developing her political and artistic identity at the Art Institute of Chicago. A severe depression in early adulthood set her path. While convalescing at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Applebroog questioned existence through strangely weightless yet implosive images drawn in pencil, ink, and watercolor. Her art touches on violence, power, and sexuality, often portraying piercingly vulnerable subjects. Last summer, the most comprehensive Applebroog retrospective to date ran at Madrid’s Reina Sofia. In Somerset, Hauser & Wirth presents highlights from Madrid. —E.C