Farewell to the Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism

by Whitney Chadwick

A fascinating examination of the ambitions and friendships of a talented group of midcentury women artists Farewell to the Muse documents what it meant to be young, ambitious, and female in the context of an avant-garde movement defined by celebrated men whose backgrounds were often quite different from those of their younger lovers and companions. Focusing on the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Whitney Chadwick charts five female friendships among the Surrealists to show how Surrealism, female friendship, and the experiences of war, loss, and trauma shaped individual women’s transitions from someone else’s muse to mature artists in their own right. Her vivid account includes the fascinating story of Claude Cahun and Suzanne Malherbe in occupied Jersey, as well as the experiences of Lee Miller and Valentine Penrose at the front line.
Chadwick draws on personal correspondence between women, including the extraordinary letters between Leonora Carrington and Leonor Fini during the months following the arrest and imprisonment of Carrington’s lover Max Ernst and the letter Frida Kahlo shared with her friend and lover Jacqueline Lamba years after it was written in the late 1930s. This history brings a new perspective to the political context of Surrealism as well as fresh insights on the vital importance of female friendship to its progress. 50 illustrations, 20 in color

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Feminism, History, Art History

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

Whitney Chadwick is a professor emerita at San Francisco State University. She has published on issues of gender and sexuality in surrealism, modernism, and contemporary art. Her book Women, Art, and Society (Thames and Hudson, 1990; fifth revised and updated edition, 2011) explores the history of women’s contributions to visual culture from the Middle Ages to the 21st century through an examination of the intersection of class, gender, race, and sexuality with culture, geography, politics, and criticism.

Chadwick received her PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. In 2003, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Gothenburg. Her research has been supported by fellowships at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Forum for Advanced Studies in Arts, Languages, and Theology at Uppsala University.

(from https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/peo...)

Reviews

[Lorri Steinbacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The one thing that I left this book was this: that men seem to need women to be muses, but the inverse is not true. Women can be in intense relationships with both men and women and be inspired by them or have their creativity fueled by them, but it's no more mystical than that. Meanwhile the men of the surrealist period pretty much declared that a muse was necessary. It must have been hard to have your own creative vision and then be relegated to merely a role in a man's life script, which might explain why women became involved with other women--they could interact in a state of equality. There may be jealousy and competition, but they are not forced to play a role. What's the saying Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in high heels? The women of the surrealist movement did everything the men did but were also largely responsible for running the households and rearing the children, etc. Plus, I can't imagine how tiresome Andre Breton must have been as a partner. Not a professional review because I am not an art critic and so some of the deeper criticism is lost on me, but important because women's stories must be heard.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great stories here, but I'm not a fan of the prose.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book; you will love or hate it.

This book is about the Avant Garde Movement and the effect it had on the young. It focuses on the 1930s through to 1950s and explores female relationships and their shared experiences of war, love, loss and trauma which lead them from beloved muses to established and mature artists.

Personal letters describe the muses’ lives during the wars and the loss of their lovers and friends during this troubled time in the world. This is a superbly written book, which uses the stories of these surrealist women to the fullest and with great empathy and a kindness often missing in a book of this genre.

I know very little about this movement, but this book is so well written it has led me to investigate and learn about it. A strong book, with strong but also vulnerable women, who are the muses, to wealthy artists who have lead very different and indeed more affluent lives than these women. However, the ladies grow into respected artists in their own right.

A brilliant and well-written book and a recommended read for everyone.

Seshat

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, for the most part, begins in the late 1930s, when surrealism had past its prime in Europe but was just beginning to be discovered abroad as World War II began to overwhelm everything. Covers some artists that have either been well discussed or are beginning to be (Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Lee Miller) but is more interesting for all the attention paid to those who have been (mostly) criminally neglected or overshadowed (Valentine Penrose, Leonor Fini, Jacqueline Lamba Breton, Claude Cahun, etc.). All viewed through the interaction and friendship (sometimes more) between the women as they negotiated their own way in a world (even the Surrealist's world) which was overwhelmingly dominated by a male, heterosexual agenda. Some excellent dolor and black and white reproductions of the work, but the book is primarily about lives lived, rather than art criticism.

There were some tiny things about the book along the way that bothered me, but I'm going to slide over them for now, because the book was otherwise amazingly refreshing and needed.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong start that became overly pedantic toward the middle. I loved learning the intimate and personal stories of so many inspired and hidden women artists who lived alongside the men we know so well. This helped me frame the importance of women's voices in history which makes space for the present. I do think the author tried very hard to find the erotic element in even the tiniest of hints which made the book read more like a graduate of PhD dissertation than a fresh look at the women "behind" the men who led the surrealist movement. Felt a little narrow in scope in that regard.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A published failure of another academic paper pusher.

Chadwick had enough material for two long e-magazine articles. Maybe even some trivia beyond the two articles. And that is a magical total of a pamphlet. So Chadwick pours some more trivia, weaves a general narrative and voila! The book. Which is actually only two magazine articles and many words to fill enough pages.

[kennedy clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

fascinating but i feel like it could have been constructed better. dragged on at times and surprisingly dry language despite the fact that the language is supposed to be describing such complex group of women....

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The material is interesting; I would have enjoyed the book more if the writing had been stronger.

[rebecki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fascinating content, but very academic writing. With so much good material I feel like it could have been written in a much more compelling way.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Dani Villamarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent story. Maybe a little too many personal suppositions by the author.
Overall enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting topic but the writing gave my brain a headache.

[Mills College Library]

709.04063 C4329 2017