Who was the surrealist artist Toyen and what major works by Toyen can be seen at the National Gallery Prague’s summer exhibition Toyen: The Dreaming Rebel? Why is Toyen considered one of the most important artists of First Republic Czechoslovakia as well as a major member of the Paris surrealist group? Who were some of the artist’s close friends within the interwar Czech avant-garde and why is Toyen now also seen as a hero by many trans and non-binary-gender people? These and many more questions will be answered by art historian Karla Huebner. She says: “Toyen is a meaningful and intriguing figure to audiences of various cultural backgrounds. Toyen’s artwork spans many styles and media and Toyen’s life shows how a woman of ambiguous gender was able to become a successful artist in early Czechoslovakia.” Watch the online lecture, part of the series Highlights from the National Gallery Prague, to find out more!
You are cordially invited to the online lecture by art historian Karla Huebner from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, who will discuss the work of the founding Czech surrealist artist Toyen and the exhibition Toyen: The Dreaming Rebel is currently on display at the National Gallery Prague. Karla Huebner will also, talk in more depth about some of the works in the exhibition and will respond to questions from the audience.
Karla Huebner is a Professor of Art History at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and studies Czech surrealism and visual culture. Her book Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic examines a founding member of the Czech surrealist group. She has also contributed to Czech Feminisms: Perspectives on Gender in East Central Europe; Women in Magazines; The Flâneur Abroad; The New Woman International; Journal of Women’s History, Papers of Surrealism, and Aspasia. She is the president of the Czechoslovak Studies Association and was on the board of Historians of German, Scandinavian, and Central European Art. Her novel In Search of the Magic Theater will be published in 2022.
Karla Huebner will speak on the theme of Toyen at San Francisco Public Library on August 8.
https://www.ngprague.cz/udalost/3049/toyen-snici-rebelka
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