Author Description

Published on the occasion of The Drawing Center's 2009 exhibition, Unica Zurn: Dark Spring presents nearly 50 ink and watercolor works on paper by the late German artist and writer Unica Zurn, spanning from the early 1950s until her tragic suicide in 1970. A noted poet and novelist, Zurn produced numerous expressionistic short stories that were published in German newspapers throughout the 1950s before moving to Paris with German Surrealist artist, Hans Bellmer, who would be her partner and collaborator until her death. Zurn began producing paintings and drawings related to her Surrealist-influenced literary work while living in Paris, becoming acquainted with many artists in the Surrealist circle, including Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp. Part whimsical cartoons, part intricate portraits, Zurn's chimerical fantasies make for drawings that are deeply revelatory yet playfully imaginative. This volume, number 86 in the Drawing Papers series, includes essays by curator Joao Ribas and author and scholar Mary Ann Caws.