Dora Maar

Dora Maar, edited by Damarice Amao, Amanda Maddox, and Karolina Ziebinska-Lewandowska / ISBN 9781606066294 / 208-page hardcover, 9 x 11.25 inches, from the Getty Musuem

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For the first time, a comprehensive exploration of Dora Maar’s enigmatic photography reveals her as an extraordinary and influential artist in her own right.

Dora Maar (1907–1997) was active at the height of Surrealism in France. She was recognized as a key member of the movement and maintained professional relationships with many of its prominent figures, such as André Breton, Brassaï, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Man Ray. However, her standing as the one-time muse and mistress of Pablo Picasso—his famous “Weeping Woman”— has long eclipsed her creative output and minimized her influence.

Richly illustrated with 240 key works showcasing Maar’s inimitable acumen as a photographer, this book examines the full arc of her career for the very first time. Subjects include her innovative commercial and fashion photography, approach to the nude and eroticism, engagement with political groups, interest in socially concerned photography, affiliation with the Surrealist movement, and hitherto unknown work from her reclusive late career, providing a dynamic and multifaceted examination of an important artist.

This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the Centre Pompidou Paris, the Tate Modern London, and the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center.

“An in-depth examination of a productive and multi-faceted artist, a photographer and painter of real interest and complexity. In addition, the catalogue and various responding articles open up an expanded view of the Surrealist enterprise and of the French art world of the late 1920s through the 1940s."― Art in America