Dorothea Tanning: Behind the Door, Another Invisible Door, Exhibition, Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid: 3 October 2018-7 January 2019

Curated by Alyce Mahon, the Reina Sofia is hosting a collection of work by American artist Dorothea Tanning, who throughout her 60 year career excelled in the worlds of painting, sculpting and writing. Her own artistic style is evident throughout her pieces, but we can also see many elements of surrealism especially in the dream-like works Birthday and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik which she produced in the 1940s.

The exhibition is formed of themed rooms each belonging to different stages of Tanning’s life that were crucial to her career. We see links to her childhood, family scenes, girls dressed in Victorian clothing, baroque and bucolic nudes, red-rock deserts, and representations of flowers which she produced towards the end of her career.

Whilst visiting, don’t miss the Chambre 202 Hotel du Pavot installation, a 3D work that is made up of soft fabric sculptures reflecting an abstract take on the female body. Femininity is a theme throughout her work, as she depicts the way she subverted expectation growing up. By cleverly dissolving the barriers between the subject of the artwork and those spectating, this engaging exhibition takes us out of our comfort zone whilst simultaneously allowing us to feel part of Tanning’s bizarre world, as opposed to limiting us to reflections from the perspective of an outsider.

Reina Sofia Museum

52, 28012 Madrid, Espagna