A Surrealist Stratigraphy of Dorothea Tanning’s Chasm In A Surrealist Stratigraphy of Dorothea Tanning’s Chasm, Catriona McAra offers the first critical study of the literary work of the celebrated American painter and sculptor Dorothea Tanning (1910–2012). McAra fills a major gap in the scholarship, repositioning Tanning’s writing at the centre of her entire creative oeuvre and f ocusing on a little-known short story “Abyss,” a gothic-flavoured, desert adventure which Tanning worked on intermittently throughout her creative life, finally publishing it in 2004 as Chasm: A Weekend. McAra performs a major reassessment of the visual and literary principles upon which the surrealist movement was initially founded. Combining a groundbreaking methodological approach with reference to cultural theory and feminist aesthetics as well as Tanning’s unpublished journals and notes, McAra reveals Tanning as a key player in contemporary art practice as well as in the historical surrealist milieu. Dr Catriona McAra is Curatorial and Exhibitions Manager at Leeds College of Art. She was awarded her doctorate in History of Art at the University of Glasgow (2012) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh (2013–14). Studies in Surrealism Series Editor: Gavin Parkinson, The Courtauld Institute of Art With scholarly interest in Surrealism greater than ever, Ashgate Studies in Surrealism serves as a major forum for key areas of inquiry into the activities of the Surrealist movement. The series extends the ongoing academic and popular interest in Surrealism, evident in recent studies that have rethought established areas of Surrealist activity and engagement, including those of art, politics, the object, exhibitions, photography, popular culture, crime and science. Expanding and adding to existing lines of inquiry, books in the series examine Surrealism’s intersections with philosophical, social, artistic and literary themes. 1 Maruja Mallo and the Spanish Avant-Garde Shirley Mangini 2 Children’s Stories and ‘Child-Time’ in the Works of Joseph Cornell and the Transatlantic Avant-Garde Analisa Leppanen-Guerra 3 Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond Vassiliki Rapti 4 Found Sculpture and Photography from Surrealism to Contemporary Art Edited by Anna Dezeuze and Julia Kelly 5 Surrealism and Photography in Czechoslovakia On the Needles of Days Krzysztof Fijalkowski, Michael Richardson, and Ian Walker 6 Reading Claude Cahun’s Disavowals Jennifer L. Shaw 7 Consuming Surrealism in American Culture Dissident Modernism Sandra Zalman 8 Sacred Surrealism, Dissidence and International Avant-Garde Prose Vivienne Brough-Evans A Surrealist Stratigraphy of Dorothea Tanning’s Chasm Catriona McAra First published 2017 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2017 Catriona McAra The right of Catriona McAra to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Title: A surrealist stratigraphy of Dorothea Tanning’s Chasm / Catriona McAra. Description: New York : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Studies in surrealism | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016026056 (print) | LCCN 2016041037 (ebook) | ISBN 9781472463449 (alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315390581 Subjects: LCSH: Tanning, Dorothea, 1910-2012 Chasm. | Surrealism (Literature) Classification: LCC PS3620.A695 C476 2016 (print) | LCC PS3620.A695 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016026056 ISBN: 978-1-4724-6344-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-39058-1 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by diacriTech, Chennai Contents List of illustrations vii Acknowledgements xi Cast list and key scenes xiii Introduction: Excavating an abyss: From manuscript to novel (1947–2004) 1 1 Unpacking Tanning’s library 17 2 The alternative reality of Sedona 34 3 Surrealism in the attic 62 4 The fur of the fairy tale 86 5 Quoting “Tanning”: Surrealist heirlooms in contemporary practice 93 Bibliography 106 Appendices 114 Index 126 This page intentionally left blank Illustrations Illustration list Copyrights for all artworks and texts by Dorothea Tanning are held by the family of the artist and published here courtesy The Dorothea Tanning Foundation, New York. Artworks © DACS, London/ADAGP, Paris. All rights reserved. Colour plates 1 Dorothea Tanning, Tempête en jaune (Tempest in Yellow), 1956. Oil on canvas, 96.5 × 147 cm. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 2 Dorothea Tanning, Katchina Coquette, 1954. Oil on canvas, 35 × 27 cm. Private collection, London. 3 Dorothea Tanning, Evening in Sedona, 1976. Oil on canvas, 114 × 146 cm. The Destina Foundation, New York. 4 Dorothea Tanning, Une lacune à combler (A Gap to Be Filled), 1963. Oil on canvas, 116.2 × 91.4 cm. Private collection, Paris. 5 Dorothea Tanning, Septième péril (Seventh Peril) from Les 7 périls spectraux (The Seven Spectral Perils), 1950. Lithograph, 36.2 × 26.8 cm. 6 Dorothea Tanning, Intérieur (Interior), 1953. Oil on canvas, 46 × 38 cm. Collection Mme. Claude Hersaint, Paris. 7 Dorothea Tanning, Interior with Sudden Joy, 1951. Oil on canvas, 61 × 90.8 cm. Collection Selma Ertegun, New York. 8 Dorothea Tanning, Victory, 2005. Burnt toast, graphite and crayon on black paper with antique frame, 24.8 × 29.7 × 3.8 cm. The Destina Foundation, New York. viii Illustrations Figures 1.1 Dorothea Tanning, Premier péril (First Peril) from Les 7 périls spectraux (The Seven Spectral Perils), 1950. Lithograph, 36.8 × 27.6 cm. 17 1.2 Postcard of Galesburg Public Library, 14 × 9 cm. 18 1.3 Max Ernst, ‘Max Ernst’s Favorite Poets and Painters of the Past’ in View Magazine, Special Max Ernst Edition, edited by Charles Henri Ford, Series II, No. 1 (April 1942): pp. 14–15. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016. 20 1.4 Dorothea Tanning, Portefeuille (Pocketbook), 1946. Oil on board, 21.6 × 15.2 cm. The University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson. 21 1.5 Dorothea Tanning, Poem, 1987. Lithograph, 75.8 × 53.7 cm. 24 1.6 Dorothea Tanning, Emma, 1970. Fabric, wool, and lace, 29.5 x 64.5 × 54.9 cm. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. 27 1.7 Dorothea Tanning, De quel amour (By What Love), 1969. Tweed, metal, wool, chain, and plush, 178 × 48 × 60 cm. Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. 29 2.1 Lee Miller, Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst in Sedona, 1946. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2016. All rights reserved. www.leemiller.co.uk 34 2.2 Montezuma Castle National Monument. Photograph by the author. 36 2.3 Dorothea Tanning, Hotel, 1988. Collage with photocopy and watercolour on paper, 49.5 × 64.8 cm. The Destina Foundation, New York. 36 2.4 Brewer Road, 2012. Photography courtesy of Mimi Johnson. 38 2.5 Lee Miller, Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, 1946. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2016. All rights reserved. www.leemiller.co.uk 41 2.6 Lee Miller, Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, 1946. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2016. All rights reserved. www.leemiller.co.uk 41 2.7 Maxfield Parrish, Arizona, 1930. First published as an illustration for the Ladies Home Journal (October 1930). © Maxfield Parrish Family, LLC/VAGA, NY/DACS, London 2016. 43 2.8 Dorothea Tanning, Sunflower Landscape, 1943. Oil on canvas, 35.6 × 27.9 cm. Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. 43 2.9 Joseph Cornell, Untitled, n.d. (early 1960s). Collage. © The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/VAGA, NY/DACS, London 2016. 44 2.10 Dorothea Tanning, Arizona Landscape, 1943. Oil on canvas, 27.94 × 20.32 cm. Private collection, New York. 45 Illustrations ix 2.11 Dorothea Tanning, Self-Portrait, 1944. Oil on canvas, 61 × 76 cm. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 45 2.12 Dorothea Tanning, Simplified Botany – The Land, 1943. Ink on illustration board, 47 × 35.6 cm. Collection of Ira and Gale Drukier, New York. Photography courtesy of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. 48 2.13 Dorothea Tanning, Evening in Sedona (detail), 1976. Oil on canvas, 114 × 146 cm. The Destina Foundation, New York. 49 2.14 Illustrated postcard (featuring photography by Bob Bradshaw), 5 January 1978, from Dorothea Tanning, Sedona, Arizona, to Roland Penrose. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh. 49 2.15 Dorothea Tanning, Étreinte (Embrace), 1969. Wool flannel and fake fur stuffed with wool, 93 × 118 × 60 cm. The Destina Foundation, New York. 53 3.1 Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943. Oil on canvas, 41 × 61 cm. © Tate, London 2016. 62 3.2 Joseph Cornell, Setting for a Fairy Tale, c. 1942. Box construction, 29.4 × 36.6 × 9.9 cm. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, 1976. Art. Photo: David Heald. © The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/VAGA, NY/DACS, London 2016. 67 3.3 Dorothea Tanning, Some Roses and Their Phantoms, 1952. Oil on canvas, 75.9 × 102.2 cm. © Tate, London 2016. 71 3.4 Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Bébé Marie), early 1940s. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Papered and painted wood box, with painted corrugated cardboard floor, containing doll in cloth dress and straw hat with cloth flowers, dried flowers, and twigs, flecked with paint, 23 1/2 × 12 3/8 × 5 1/4 (59.7 × 31.5 × 13.3 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. 682.1980 © 2016. Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence. © The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/VAGA, NY/DACS, London 2016. 72 3.5 Dorothea Tanning, Daughters, 1983. Oil on canvas, 130 × 97 cm. Private Collection, London. 73 3.6 Dorothea Tanning, Hôtel du Pavot, Chambre 202 (Poppy Hotel, Room 202), 1970–73. Fabric, wool, synthetic fur, cardboard, and Ping-Pong balls, 340 × 310 × 470 cm. Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. 77 3.7 Dorothea Tanning, Door 84, 1984. Oil on canvas with found door, 162 x 264.2 × 13.3 cm overall. The Destina Foundation, New York. 79 3.8 Dorothea Tanning, Portrait de famille (Family Portrait), 1953–54. Oil on canvas, 100 × 81 cm. Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. 80