Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic

Karla Huebner

Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic

Wright State University

Research output: Book/Report › Book

Abstract

<div class="line" id="line-15"> Part art book and part biography,  Magnetic Woman  examines the life and work of the artist Toyen (Marie &Ccaron;ermínová, 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—Dev&ecaron;tsil, 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. Using primary sources gathered from disparate disciplines and studies of the artist’s own work,  Magnetic Woman  is organized both chronologically and thematically, moving through Toyen’s career with attention to specific historical circumstances and intellectual developments approximately as they entered her life. Karla Huebner offers a re-evaluation of surrealism, the Central European contribution to modernism, and the role of female artists in the avant-garde, along with a complex and nuanced view of women’s roles in and treatment by the surrealist movement. </div>

Original language	American English
State	Published - 2020

Keywords

Devětsil
Toyen
art
avant-garde
czech
czechoslovakia
gender
surrealism

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology
Modern Art and Architecture
Slavic Languages and Societies

Cite this

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title = "Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic",

abstract = " Part art book and part biography,  Magnetic Woman  examines the life and work of the artist Toyen (Marie &Ccaron;ermínová, 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—Dev&ecaron;tsil, 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. Using primary sources gathered from disparate disciplines and studies of the artist’s own work,  Magnetic Woman  is organized both chronologically and thematically, moving through Toyen’s career with attention to specific historical circumstances and intellectual developments approximately as they entered her life. Karla Huebner offers a re-evaluation of surrealism, the Central European contribution to modernism, and the role of female artists in the avant-garde, along with a complex and nuanced view of women’s roles in and treatment by the surrealist movement. ",

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author = "Karla Huebner",

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language = "American English",

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PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Part art book and part biography,  Magnetic Woman  examines the life and work of the artist Toyen (Marie &Ccaron;ermínová, 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—Dev&ecaron;tsil, 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. Using primary sources gathered from disparate disciplines and studies of the artist’s own work,  Magnetic Woman  is organized both chronologically and thematically, moving through Toyen’s career with attention to specific historical circumstances and intellectual developments approximately as they entered her life. Karla Huebner offers a re-evaluation of surrealism, the Central European contribution to modernism, and the role of female artists in the avant-garde, along with a complex and nuanced view of women’s roles in and treatment by the surrealist movement.

AB - Part art book and part biography,  Magnetic Woman  examines the life and work of the artist Toyen (Marie &Ccaron;ermínová, 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—Dev&ecaron;tsil, 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. Using primary sources gathered from disparate disciplines and studies of the artist’s own work,  Magnetic Woman  is organized both chronologically and thematically, moving through Toyen’s career with attention to specific historical circumstances and intellectual developments approximately as they entered her life. Karla Huebner offers a re-evaluation of surrealism, the Central European contribution to modernism, and the role of female artists in the avant-garde, along with a complex and nuanced view of women’s roles in and treatment by the surrealist movement.

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KW - Toyen

KW - art

KW - avant-garde

KW - czech

KW - czechoslovakia

KW - gender

KW - surrealism

UR - https://upittpress.org/books/9780822946472/

M3 - Book

BT - Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic

ER -

Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

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Cite this