MMU expert curates major art exhibition

The first major exhibition of 20th century female Surrealist artists to be held in Europe has been curated by MMU’s Dr Patricia Allmer.

Due to open at Manchester Art Gallery this month Angels of Anarchy will feature over 140 artworks by 32 women artists from across the globe, many on loan from international public and private collections.

Patricia, a Research Fellow in Art History at MIRIAD and specialist in European Surrealism, has selected paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, film and surreal objects from artists including Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Leonora Carrington and Lee Miller.

Never before seen

She said: “Women played a huge, but at the time not fully recognised, part in the Surrealist movement. Only recently has an appreciation grown of how crucial their radical and sometimes still shocking contributions were to Surrealism. Angels of Anarchy provides a rare chance to see their outstanding works and celebrate these artists as heroines and role models to a whole generation of women”

Patricia continues: “A number of the works have rarely been on public display, while those by lesser-known artists have never been shown in public before. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the work of so many women Surrealists displayed together.”

Rare works

Among the best-known and most significant artworks in the show are: Frida Kahlo’s exquisite self-portrait Diego and I, a selection of intimate photographic portraits of the artist by Lola Álvarez Bravo, Leonora Carrington’s Self-Portrait (The Inn of the Dawn Horse) and Meret Oppenheim’s iconic objects Fur Gloves with Wooden Fingers and Squirrel.

The show includes the rare exhibition of two of Eileen Agar’s most famous works together - Angel of Anarchy and the counterpart
Angel of Mercy. Also on display are a selection of photographs by Lee Miller and Dora Maar, androgynous and highly theatrical self-portraits by Claude Cahun, several haunting self-portraits by Francesca Woodman and a Cast of Lee Miller’s Torso.

Lecture & Film series

Patricia has edited a fully-illustrated scholarly catalogue to accompany the exhibition and co-organised film showings at Cornerhouse and a lecture series at Manchester Art Gallery to coincide with the exhibition.

See the Angels of Anarchy interactive website for opening times, entry fees, events information, audio downloads and games.

The exhibition runs from 26th September 2009 to 10th January 2010.

––
Image Credit:
© ADAGP Paris, Musée National d’Art