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Unica Zürn
Art, Writing and Post-War Surrealism
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Unica Zürn
$6299
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers interested in Surrealism, postwar art, psychoanalysis and feminist art history, as well as those exploring the intersections of mental health and creativity.
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Description
Diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 1950s, writer and artist Unica Zürn produced a wealth of remarkable textual and visual material while in psychiatric institutions across Germany and France. While Zürn is often discussed in relation to her partner, the controversial artist Hans Bellmer, this innovative book moves beyond the familiar model of the overlooked 'woman behind the man' and re-introduces her as a member of the French Surrealist group.
In the first text on Unica Zürn in English, Unica Zürn by Esra Plumer presents Zürn's life and work in light of the artist's individual experiences of the Second World War, post-war Surrealism and mental illness. At the same time, it reveals wider aspects of her artistic practice in relation to her contemporaries. Plumer also reveals how the techniques of anagrams and automatism (writing and drawing methods designed to unlock the subconscious mind) form the pillars of Zürn's artistic creative output, which carry her work into the wider theoretical circles of psychoanalytic theory and post-structuralist thought.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
This first sustained English-language study of Unica Zürn skillfully separates her artistic identity from Hans Bellmer’s shadow, presenting her work as a unique and significant contribution to postwar art and literature. The scholarly rigour and insight into the complex relationship between mental illness and creativity marks this book as a groundbreaking contribution to Surrealist studies. Journal of Modern Literature praises Plumer’s method for avoiding reductive interpretations and offering a nuanced view of Zürn’s oeuvre as the result of conscious artistic strategy.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781350296954
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 30 June 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Illustration: 21 bw illus
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 146.0mm
Height: 218.0mm
Weight: 500g
Pages: 272
Collections
About the Author
Esra Plumer completed her PhD at the University of Nottingham, UK, on the work of Unica Zürn and her development of the technique of automatism as an artistic strategy. Dr Plumer is the leading expert on the artistic work of Zürn with an extensive background in the history of psychoanalysis and psychiatric treatment methods. She has taught at the University of Nottingham, the European University of Lefke and The Courtauld Institute of Art.
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