Eileen Agar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eileen Agar
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Eileen Agar
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| Born | 1 December 1899 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Died | 7 November 1991 (aged 91) London, England
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| Nationality | British, Argentinian |
| Education | Byam Shaw School of Art, Slade School of Fine Art |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Surrealist |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Bard |
Eileen Forrester Agar RA (born December 1, 1899 – died November 17, 1991) was a British-Argentinian artist. She was known for her paintings and photographs. Eileen Agar was part of the Surrealist art movement.
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About Eileen Agar
Eileen Agar was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her father was from Scotland and her mother was from America. Her family owned a business that sold windmills and farm machines. From a young age, Eileen loved looking at pictures by artists like Edmund Dulac.
She grew up in a large family home called Quinta la Lila. She learned from her nanny and a French teacher. Eileen described her childhood as "full of balloons, hoops and St Bernard dogs." Her family often traveled to Britain every two years.
Early School Days
When she was six, Eileen went to a private school in England. Later, at Heathfield School, Ascot, her teacher, Lucy Kemp-Welch, encouraged her art skills. During World War I, Eileen went to Tudor Hall. There, a music teacher introduced her to many artists, including Charles Sims. Sims showed her early works by Paul Nash. Eileen felt that art was an important part of daily life during this time.
Before the war ended, Eileen attended a finishing school. This type of school taught young women social skills and manners. She also took oil painting lessons at the Byam Shaw School of Art. Eileen found this school too strict. She wanted to study art in a different way. After an argument with her parents, she left home. She went to stay with family friends in Truro and St Mawes.
Art Training and First Marriage
From 1920 to 1921, Eileen studied art with Leon Underwood. She made friends with other artists there. From 1921 to 1924, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. She studied alongside artists like Rex Whistler and Cecil Beaton. She also met her first husband, Robin Bartlett, there.
Eileen came from a wealthy family. Her parents would send a Rolls-Royce to pick her up from art school. But she didn't want to live a fancy life. She refused to use the car. In 1925, she married Robin Bartlett. That same year, she destroyed most of her early artworks. They lived together in Dieppe, France. Eileen said that marrying Bartlett helped her become independent from her family.
Meeting Joseph Bard and the Surrealists
In 1926, Eileen met Joseph Bard, a man from Hungary. They would spend the next 50 years together. Joseph loved jewels, and Eileen later used jewels in her art. From 1927 to 1928, Eileen and Joseph lived in London. They spent winters in Portofino, Italy, where Eileen met the poet Ezra Pound.
In 1928, Eileen and Joseph moved to Paris. There, she met famous Surrealist artists like André Breton and Paul Éluard. From 1928 to 1930, Eileen studied with a Czech Cubist artist named František Foltýn. Cubism is an art style where objects are broken up and reassembled in abstract ways. She also visited the studio of sculptor Constantin Brâncuși with Ezra Pound.
The Flying Pillar and Surrealism
In 1930, Eileen Agar returned to England. She painted her first Surrealist artwork, called The Flying Pillar. Surrealism was an art movement that explored dreams and the unconscious mind. Artists tried to create surprising and unexpected images. Eileen said that this painting was her "first attempt at an imaginative approach to painting." She felt that Surrealism was "in the air" in France.
The Flying Pillar was later renamed Three Symbols. Eileen described it as a mix of ancient Greek art and modern symbols like the Eiffel Tower. It showed how the classical world and the modern world were coming together.
In 1931, Eileen contributed to a magazine called The Island. Two years later, she had her first solo art show in London. She also started making collages in 1934. A collage is an artwork made by gluing different materials, like paper or fabric, onto a surface.
Found Objects and Exhibitions
In 1934, Eileen and Joseph spent the summer in Swanage, England. There, Eileen met artist Paul Nash. Nash introduced her to the idea of "found objects." These are everyday objects that artists find and use in their art. Eileen and Nash worked together on some pieces, like Seashore Monster at Swanage.
Nash suggested Eileen's work for the 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition. This was a very important show. Even though Eileen didn't always call herself a Surrealist, her work was included. She was one of the few women artists in the exhibition. Eileen showed her art with the Surrealists in England and other countries.
During the 1930s, Eileen's art often focused on natural objects. She also experimented with new ways of making art, like taking photographs and creating collages. The Angel of Anarchy is a famous artwork she made between 1936 and 1940. It is a plaster head covered in fabric and other materials. She made two versions of this artwork. The first one was lost. The second version, made in 1940, used a mold of Joseph Bard's head. It was covered in white and black fur, feathers, and doilies (decorative mats).
In 1937, Paul Éluard and his wife visited Eileen in London. They traveled to Cornwall with artists Roland Penrose and Lee Miller. Eileen also visited Picasso and Dora Maar's home in France. Lee Miller took photographs of her there. By 1940, Eileen's art had been shown in Surrealist exhibitions in Amsterdam, New York, Paris, and Tokyo. However, World War II stopped her art activities for a while.
Later Life and Legacy
After World War II, Eileen Agar began a very busy period. She had almost 16 solo art shows between 1946 and 1985. By the 1960s, she was creating Tachist paintings. Tachisme is a style of painting that uses splashes or blobs of color. Her paintings still had Surrealist ideas.
In 1988, Eileen published her autobiography, called A Look At My Life. This book shared her experiences and memories of famous artists like Picasso and Henry Moore. In 1990, Eileen Agar was chosen as a Royal Academy Associate. She passed away in London. Her paintings are now in many British art collections, including the Tate museum.
Eileen Agar is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. In 2007, an exhibition at Tate Britain used materials from Eileen Agar's personal collection.
Notable works
- The Angel of Mercy, sculpture, 1934
- Quadriga, painting, 1935
- The Angel of Anarchy, object, 1940
- L'horloge d'une femme painting, 1989
See also
In Spanish: Eileen Agar para niños
- Women Surrealists
- Leonora Carrington
- Lee Miller
