SKU: 11748
Marion Adnams
(1898 - 1995)
Corn Doll, 1940’s
£2,250
Marion Adnams (1898 - 1995)
£6,750
Size:
Height – 55.7cm
Width – 10.8cm
1 in stock
Spring in the Cemetery, Uttoxeter Road, Derby 1956 by Marion Adnams,
Nottiingham City Museums
View of the old cemetery, Uttoxeter Road, Derby, with rows of headstones, some straight, others crooked. It is seen from the side, the rows of graves running vertically from the top of the picture to the bottom foreground. In the background of the picture is the cemetery wall, with a row of houses and a tower behind it. On the left, in the foreground, are two large trees with spring foliage, and on the right of the scene is a willow tree beginning to sprout leaves; behind is a large tree.
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She wrote extensively, including an unpublished Autobiography.
