Ithell Colquhoun: Bonsoir

Ithell Colquhoun (1906-1988) was a force of nature; a prolific artist, essayist, novelist, and poet whose overriding concernswere with spiritual transcendence and union with the divine energy that animated all matter. For her, surrealism, provided a method and framework to explore not only the deepest reaches of her own mind, but also to connect with other beings and dimensions. We are currently witnessing a coalescence of interests that are thrusting Colquhoun-s oeuvre into the spotlight: a renewed interest in surrealism, a new critical commitment to amplifying the historical contribution of women artists, and crucially an interest in esoterically motivated art. Tate holds a vast collection of her works, ephemera and writings in it-s archive from which this collection of collage artworks is taken and published for the first time ever. In 1939 Ithell Colquhoun imagined Bonsoir as a Surrealist film. She constructed a storyboard using photographs cut from popular magazines. It has remain