The first, definitive study of Dorothea Tanning, written by Occidental College Art History professor Amy Lyford.
Join OXY ARTS to celebrate the book launch of 'Exquisite Dreams: The Art and Life of Dorothea Tanning' by Amy Lyford, the Arthur G. Coons Professor in the History of Ideas at Occidental College.
'Exquisite Dreams' is the first—and definitive—study of this important artist’s life and work.
Dorothea Tanning (1910–2012) has for decades been known primarily as a Surrealist, but 'Exquisite Dreams' shows how the work of this passionate, dynamic, and voraciously curious artist is impossible to categorize. Tanning’s lesser-known but equally powerful sculptures, abstract paintings, and films are explored here, and her writings, biography, and art are examined in the contexts of twentieth-century developments in advertising, fashion, popular culture, and art in New York and Paris.
Using new archival sources and analyses of Tanning’s work in a variety of media, Amy Lyford broadens our understanding of the artist and illuminates her stunning diversity and achievement. This richly illustrated book is an important contribution to the history of women artists, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as the history of Surrealism.
