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Eileen Agar c. 1936
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Eileen Agar was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Her father, a Scott and her mother, an American, moved to London in 1911. After the Heathfield St Mary's School,she studied, in 1919, at the Byam Shaw school of fine art then, in 1924, with Leon Underwood (1890–1975), and she attended the Slade School of Fine Art, London, from 1925 to 1926. She also studied art in Paris from 1928 to 1930. In 1926, she met the Hungarian writer Joseph Bard (They married in 1940). In 1928, they lived in Paris where she became friends with André Breton and Paul Éluard. She was a member of the London group from 1933. Her work was selected by Roland Penrose and Herbert Read for the International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries, London, in 1936, where she exhibited three paintings, as Quadriga and five objects. Agar exhibited with the Surrealists both in England and abroad. She started to experiment with automatic techniques and new materials, taking photographs and making collages and objects, for example The Angel of Anarchy (fabric over plaster and mixed media, 1936–40; London, Tate).
In 1937, she spent some days-off in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes), at Picasso and Dora Maar's home, with Paul Éluard and Nusch, Roland Penrose and Lee Miller who photographed her. In 1940, her work was included in a number of surrealist exhibitions in Amsterdam, New York, Paris and Tokyo. After the World War II, she had started a new productive area (almosts 16 monographic exhibitons between 1946 to 1985).
Elected RA shortly before her death.
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