One of the most radical artists of her generation, Ithell Colquhoun (1906-1988) was an important, but often overlooked figure in British Surrealism. Debuting at Tate St Ives in February 2025, and Tate Britain from June, this landmark exhibition will be the largest of Colquhoun’s work ever staged, featuring over 170 artworks and pieces of archival material including painting, drawing and writing; many of which have never been publicly exhibited. The exhibition will draw on Tate’s significant archive of the artist’s work, tracing Colquhoun’s evolution from her early work and engagement with the surrealist movement, to her fascination with the intertwining realms of art, sexual identity, ecology, magic and mysticism. Following a loosely chronological path, the exhibition will map the influence of esoteric and surrealist concepts on the artist’s developing practice from the mid-1920s to the 1980s. Colquhoun’s immersion in occultism developed increasingly, embracing ancient philosophical principles including alchemy, paganism, animism and mysticism, coupled with her individual ideas about gender fluidity and interest in harnessing a divine feminine power. The exhibition will culminate with a section showcasing Colquhoun’s enamel drip techniques which the artist created during the final years of her life. This will include designs for a set of ‘Taro’ cards, an innovative series often considered the finest synthesis of Colquhoun’s art and magical practice, in which she departed from figuration altogether.

www.tate.org.uk/ithell-colquhoun