‘Exquisite Dreams’ Review: Dorothea Tanning’s Surreal Vision
Willard Spiegelman, The Wall Street Journal
March 2024
The Wall Street Journal, Alison Jacques
Sometimes, what seems merely eccentric may turn out to be essential. Such is the case of the artist Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012), whose works ranged from dreamlike representations to bold and groundbreaking abstractions. Though she first made her mark as a painter, her talents took in sculpture, poetry and prose. Over her long life, Tanning was connected to so many important figures that she would have been central to the history of 20th-century art even had she not been their equal, but Amy Lyford’s richly illustrated “Exquisite Dreams: The Art and Life of Dorothea Tanning” makes a thoroughly convincing case for the importance of a woman who was considerably more than a Surrealist, the label attached to her from the start of her multifaceted career. […]