Woman reading

Let Eileen Agar describe her collage: ‘The woman is in mourning, and the text comprising part of her is from a book called The March of Time, relating the history and dates of wars through the ages – the dried leaves symbolise the passing of time, the sense of loss and death.’

Agar stands out as one of the few female surrealist artists in Britain. She was particularly interested in the unique biology of women, using childbearing as a metaphor for the creative process.

Mary Chamot lived near the artist in London and was a great fan of her work. Thanks to Chamot, this collage became one of the first surrealist works that the National Art Gallery acquired.