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Dorothea Tanning Retrospective at Tate Modern, London

exhibition · 2026-05-04

A major retrospective of Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) is on view in London until June 9. The American surrealist, married to Max Ernst for thirty years, produced drawings, paintings, and sculptures over seven decades. She joined the Surrealist movement in the 1930s but later explored abstraction and environmental installations. The exhibition assembles one hundred works, including a reconstruction of 'Chambre 202, Hotel du Pavot' (1970-3), a sensual, bizarre hotel room with presences emerging from walls. The show aims to highlight Tanning's underrecognized later output, which remains strikingly contemporary in its exploration of the unconscious through the familiar and strange.

Key facts

  • Dorothea Tanning retrospective in London until June 9
  • Tanning lived 1910-2012
  • She was married to Max Ernst for thirty years
  • Her career spanned seven decades
  • She joined Surrealism in the 1930s
  • The exhibition includes 100 works
  • Reconstruction of 'Chambre 202, Hotel du Pavot' (1970-3) is a highlight
  • Tanning's later work is described as unjustly little known

Entities

Artists

  • Dorothea Tanning
  • Max Ernst

Institutions

  • Tate Modern

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • New York

Sources