Gertrude Abercrombie "Untitled (Ballet for Owl)" 1952
Several of you lovelies have sent me this Artsy article about eight lesser-known female surrealists, and I'm delighted to say I learned of a couple of wonderful, new (to me) artists through it. First and foremost is Gertrude Abercrombie, a Chicago-based painter whose self-portraits occupy a dreamspace filled with nocturnal creatures and magical goings-on. I love the flatness of these images, for they belie a complex interior life, soaked in personal symbolism.
Abercrombie's biography is fascinating as well: she ran in jazz circles, had Dizzy Gillespie perform at her second wedding, and was the inspiration behind the Richie Powell song, "Gertrude's Bounce." She also apparently liked to wear a velvet, pointy hat to emphasize her witchlike appearance.
A woman after my own heart.
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