The magical rediscovered work of Toyen – The Secret of Places is headed for auction

Prague, April 23, 2024 (PROTEXT) – One of Toyen’s most important paintings from the Paris period is now on display at a pre-auction exhibition at the European Arts Gallery, and on the occasion of the world premiere of the unveiling of this important painting from 1961, the European Arts Gallery cordially invites you to an afternoon meeting,,O TOYEN ENIGMATICS” – April 24, 2024 from 5 p.m.

Director Andrea Sedláčková, author of the successful biography Toyen, curator Karel Srp, who prepared the ongoing Toyen exhibition at the Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava, and leading expert on surrealism Josef Vojvodík, author of a number of books on the history of the Czech avant-garde, will make an exclusive appearance at the meeting.

From Karel Srp’s opinion:

On the threshold of the 1960s, Toyen created one of the most impressive paintings of her Parisian period: they were characterized by well-thought-out lighting, unique symbolism, and strong emotionality. The painting The Secret of Places belongs to one of the most striking, taking place in the night atmosphere, from which colors flash, which bring light tension into it. The painting is dominated by one of Toyen’s most beautiful and inspiring motifs, the heart carried away by a predator, which is so unique that it appears in such a concentrated form in her work only in this painting, it becomes an ideogram that could represent her entire work. The white heart illuminates the dark scene, creating its bearing, almost as if it were a connection that responds to André Breton’s concurrent reflections. A winged raptor, carrying a heart in its talons, hovers above a background bursting with bold colors that morph from left to right: a turquoise circle intersects a cross, followed by vertical, mirrored yellow-green, soft, pliable bands, suggesting the human body , followed by a hint of some green grass, behind which red signals are hidden, so that the right part of the image is illuminated by a constellation of six points, creating another light source. A tangle of thin, thread-like lines run through the entire dark scene, bringing movement to the ghostly scene. The image is therefore built on several layers that are internally interconnected. The viewer finds himself in a magical environment, a distinctly oppressive, surreal world that only Toyen was able to create in European surrealism. Its first and only owner was Raymond Borde (1920-2004), co-author of books on film (including A Panorama of American Film Noir, 1955), who collaborated with Jean-Paul Sartre during the 1950s and with André Breton at the beginning of the 1960s.

The painting was first exhibited at a separate exhibition Toyen: Galerie Raymond Cordier, June, 1962, no. 17. It was published in the magazine La Bréche no. 5, October 63, no. The painting was all along in the possession of Raymond Bord, who acquired it directly from Toyen through André Breton.

Provenance:

Collection of Raymond Bordo. Exhibited: Toyen: Galerie Raymond Cordier, June, 1962, No. 17. Published: La Bréche No. 5, Oct. 63, no.

This extraordinary rediscovered work of the world-renowned representative of surrealism will be offered in the Great Hall Auction in the Municipal House in Prague this Sunday. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this magical work either at the meeting and talk “ON THE ENIGMATIC TOYEN” or at the auction itself. We look forward to nice meetings.

Grand Hall Auction

Prague Municipal House

Sunday, April 28, 2024, 1 p.m

On the enigmaticness of Toyen

Gallery of European Arts

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 5 p.m

More information about other paintings available at www.europeanarts.cz

ČTK Connect publishes an image attachment to the report, which is available at http://www.protext.cz.