Dorothea Tanning

by Dorothea Tanning, Jean-Christophe Bailly, Robert C. Morgan

From Library Journal The unique surrealist painter/sculptor/designer Dorothea Tanning (b. 1910) well deserves this sumptuous volume. Her innovative oeuvre is lyrically evoked and reviewed by French critic, playwright, and poet Bailly. For clarity, however, Tanning's own afterword and the comprehensive chronology should be read before the critical essays. Some 214 color plates, four color foldouts, and 191 black-and-white illustrations mark out the visions of a fertile art not well known to the public at large. American-born but for many years a resident of France, Tanning was eclipsed by her famous artist husband, Max Ernst. Following paintings in the manner of Ernst and Balthus, she arrived at a singular style that dissolves Surrealist fragments of eroticized bodies into a cosmic surge of life. Her soft sculptures of the 1970s are another revelation. She now lives and works in New York. Highly recommended for large collections and those specializing in modernism. Mary Hamel-Schwulst, Towson State Univ., Md. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

404 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Dorothea Tanning was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor and writer. She has also designed sets and costumes for ballet and theatre.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like a fairly comprehensive overview of Tanning's life and body of work, although I'm no expert. However, I've seen enough of her work now to decide that although I like certain pieces of hers very much, there are even more that I don't like. My preferences are pretty predictable in light of my general taste in art: I like best the more representational and symbolist paintings and less the fabric installations and abstract paintings.

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I certainly enjoyed this book more than Dorothea Tanning: Insomnias: Paintings from 1954 to 1965, which focused on a period in her development toward the abstract.

[Terence]

8 out of 10 for the artwork. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the written material.

I came across Dorothea Tanning's name (& some examples of her work) while looking through my book on Remedios Varo, the Surrealist artist, and indulged a desire to learn more about her (to my profit).

[?0?0?0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to write a review not knowing, on goodreads, if this is the correct book as the one I read is edited by one Gilles Plazy (can someone direct me to that one on this site, please?) - anyway, this is a thrilling collection that includes oil on canvas works and collages and drawings and photographs, each an avenue that miss Tanning can subvert expertly while grabbing ahold of the viewer and dragging her along into fever dream scenes and hallucinations and anatomical nightmares, painted with a passion and a desire to exhibit, as the back cover says, desire.
The one set back is a few of the paintings at the beginning are not in colour and my lovely (what's the word?) Emma noticed and took on a slightly sad expression, so, just be warned of that before buying this book.