SKU: 11831
Marion Adnams
(1898 - 1995)
Design for a Nautical Mural, 1930’s
£1,850
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Marion Adnams (1898 - 1995)
Oil on plywood
22 x 18 in. (55.6 x 46 cm.)
Size:
Height – 55.9cm
Width – 46cm
Exhibited: Cathedral Church All Saints Derby, An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Marion Adnams, 27th October-5th November, no 77
Adnams journeyed frequently in France, recording in her extensive journals her love especially of Provence, and the North coast. Maritime subjects inspired a series of paintings. undertaken during a trip to Honfleur in 1957, and earlier. Titles from her studio book include this work, Fishing Gear, Sark, as well as Drying the Nets, 1955. Both were painted on plywood.
From her earliest work, Adnams played with scale in a surrealist way. She recorded that When I first went to see Rene Magritte at The Tate I saw him for the first time and I nearly passed out. So often the same thought had been with me.
Marion Adnams initially trained as a modern languages teacher; however, woodcuts she made while travelling in Europe during the 1920s received significant praise when she exhibited them at Derby Art Gallery, prompting her to re-train at Derby School of Art during the 1930s. She qualified as an art teacher in 1938 and in 1946 she became Head of Art at Derby Diocesan Training College.
From the late 1930s onwards, Adnams became known for her distinctive Surrealist paintings, and exhibited in local galleries and in London, including at the British Art Centre and the Modern Art Gallery Although she never formally joined any Surrealist societies, she made a significant contribution to the movement, particularly regarding female/male dichotomies within the group, which she explored extensively in her work. In 2017 she was the subject of a retrospective at Derby Art Gallery.
She wrote extensively, including an unpublished Autobiography.
