Ithell Colquhoun (1906-1988) was a force of nature; a prolific artist, essayist, novelist, and poet whose overriding concerns were with spiritual transcendence and union with the divine energy that animated all matter. For her, surrealism, provided a method and framework to explore not only the deepest reaches of her own mind, but also to connect with other beings and dimensions. We are currently witnessing a coalescence of interests that are thrusting Colquhoun's oeuvre into the spotlight: a renewed interest in surrealism, a new critical commitment to amplifying the historical contribution of women artists, and crucially an interest in esoterically motivated art. Tate holds a vast collection of her works, ephemera and writings in it's archive from which this collection of collage artworks is taken and published for the first time ever. In 1939 Ithell Colquhoun imagined Bonsoir as a Surrealist film. She constructed a storyboard using photographs cut from popular magazines. It has remained unpublished until now. Employing Surrealist techniques, this collection of collages narrate a moment in time in which convention and ambiguity collide in the exploration of desire.

About the Author
Dr. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer, curator, and critic, ethnographer and folklorist, speaking and writing about esoteric history, magic, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She writes and speaks on topics as diverse as psychogeography, Pagan religious tourism, colour theory, and politics in modern Paganism. Hale has written widely on the surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and in 2009 she received a grant from the Paul Mellon Foundation for her research. As a gallery writer and essayist, she has contributed essays for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal, Camden Arts Centre, Art UK, Arusha Galleries, Heavenly Records and Spike Island, Bristol. She is an exhibition consultant for the upcoming exhibition on Colquhoun at Tate St Ives.


Book Information
ISBN 9781849768306
Author Matthew Gale
Format Hardback
Page Count 64
Imprint Tate Publishing
Publisher Tate Publishing