Personal papers of and artworks by Eileen Agar
1917–92

Available online are items a range of Eileen Agar's artworks and writings which shed light on her working methods, including her extensive use of found objects, and her involvement in the Surrealist movement. Artworks which have been digitised include sculptures constructed from found objects and preparatory tracings for her series of paintings of rocks at Ploumanach. Several of Agar's writings and notebooks, which provide some insight into her life, working methods, and reflections on art, can also be seen online.
Details of the remainder of the collection can be found on the Archive catalogue.
- Collection Owner
- Eileen Agar 1899–1991
- Collection
- Tate Archive
- Acquisition
- Bequeathed to Tate Archive by Eileen Agar, 1992.
- Reference
- TGA 9222
239 objects in this collection
- Title
- Notebooks and writings
- Date
- 1975–90
- Description
- This series contains notebooks and writings, mainly relating to Agar's life and works. Many of the items appear to have been compiled in preparation for Agar's auto-biography 'A Look at My Life', which was published in 1988.
- Reference
- TGA 9222/2
Showing 11 objects
Eileen Agar Notebook
1928–[1980s]
Eileen Agar Notebook entitled ‘Notes for a memoir of Paul Nash’
[c.1988]
Eileen Agar Notes by Eileen Agar on her stay with Picasso at Mougins
[1988]
Eileen Agar Note by Eileen Agar on her memories of Henry Moore and Irina
10 November 1988
Eileen Agar Handwritten story entitled ‘A Journey through the Eye’
date not known
Eileen Agar, Andrew Lambirth Typewritten lecture entitled ‘Surrealism in England in the 1930s’ given by Andrew Lambirth and Eileen Agar at the Royal College of Art
[1988]
Eileen Agar Note by Eileen Agar on how she made her artworks ‘The Obelisk of Satisfied Desire’ and ‘The Magician’
date not known
Eileen Agar Note by Eileen Agar on how her artworks ‘Harlequin’ and ‘Bird and Egg’ were painted
date not known
Eileen Agar Note by Eileen Agar on her work ‘Sea-deep’
date not known
Eileen Agar Note by Eileen Agar on painting, surrealism and abstractism, and collage
date not known
Eileen Agar Note on Lewis Carroll, describing him as ‘a prophet of surrealism’
date not known