Apollo Magazine

Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy

A major survey for the trailblazing British Surrealist spanning her seven-decade career, at the Whitechapel Gallery

Agar_Dance of Peace (detail; 1945), Eileen Agar.

Dance of Peace (detail; 1945), Eileen Agar. © The estate of Eileen Agar

Eileen Agar played a key role in the Surrealist movement during the 1930s – this large survey at the Whitechapel Gallery (19 May–29 August) shows the range of her influences. She drew on everything from Cubism to classical sculpture in works that ranged from painting to found-object assemblages. With some 150 works, the display traces her seven-decade career from her early years studying at the Slade through to her inclusion in André Breton’s ‘International Surrealist Exhibition’ of 1936, and the prolific and varied output that followed. Find out more from the Whitechapel’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here 

Angel of Anarchy (1936–40), Eileen Agar. Photo: © Tate Images

Quadriga (1935), Eileen Agar. Courtesy of The Penrose Collection; © The estate of Eileen Agar

Eileen Agar wearing her Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse in 1936. © The estate of Eileen Agar

Collective Unconscious (1977), Eileen Agar. Courtesy Royal Academy of Arts; © The estate of Eileen Agar

Dance of Peace (1945), Eileen Agar. © The estate of Eileen Agar

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