Format: Hardback
Pages: 408
ISBN: 9780822946472
Pub Date: 15 May 2021
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
Series: Russian and East European Studies
Illustrations: 191 color & b&w
Description:
Part art book and part biography, Magnetic Woman examines the life and work of the artist Toyen (Marie Čermínová, 1902-80), a founding member of the Prague surrealist group, and focuses on her construction of gender and eroticism. Toyen’s early life in Prague enabled her to become a force in three avant-garde groups - Devětsil, Prague surrealism, and Paris surrealism - yet, unusually for a female artist of her generation, Toyen presented both her gender and sexuality as ambiguous and often emphasized erotic themes in her work. Despite her importance and ground-breaking work, Toyen has been notoriously difficult to study.