Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy - Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool

Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy - Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool, edited by Victoria Noel-Johnson and Marzina Marzetti / ISBN 9788857250618 / 168-page hardcover, 9.25 x 12 inches, published in 2024 by Skira

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A chronicle of the Surrealist art couple famed for their alien landscapes and biomorphic forms

This volume delves into the fecund creative partnership between American artist Kay Sage (1898–1963) and French-American artist Yves Tanguy (1900–55), who were known for generating eerie landscapes sparsely populated with biomorphic life forms. They also married in 1940.

In this account of their relationship, particular attention is cast toward Sage, whose legacy has long been obscured by the better-known Tanguy, a key figure of French Surrealism. A visual chronology charts the various stages of Sage’s practice in Italy and Paris before returning to New York in 1939. The book also reflects upon Tanguy’s premature death in 1955 and Sage’s subsequent choice to avidly promote and safeguard his legacy at the price of her own rising star. Over 50 images of works by Sage and Tanguy are supplemented by an abundance of new scholarship.