Professor Dawn Adès, OBE, FBA, University of Essex

Wednesday 27 May 2009, 5.30pm
The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH

Professor Adès referred to a series of images throughout her lecture.

Surrealism has played an important but contentious role in the development of Latin American art. The history of the reception of surrealist ideas and practices in Latin America has often been distorted by cultural nationalism and also needs to be disentangled from Magic Realism. Surrealism was nonetheless a potent influence or chosen affiliation for many artists (such as Frida Kahlo and Wifredo Lam) and its legacies can still be detected in the work of contemporary artists from Latin America who now dominate the international scene. 

About the speaker
Professor Dawn Adès was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 1996. She is a trustee of Tate and organised many exhibitions on Surrealism and Salvador Dali from 1978 to 2004. She has published standard works on Mexican muralists, photomontage, women artists, Dada and Surrealism. One of her latest books is Dali's Optical Illusions (2000).

Surrealism and its Legacies in Latin America

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