Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York is presenting 'Leaves of the World,' an exhibition of works by Eileen Agar (1899–1991) spanning seven decades of her career, from 1927 to 1980. The show highlights Agar's enduring engagement with collage and her unique blend of surrealism, cubism, and abstraction, featuring pieces such as 'Leaves of the World' (c. 1940) and 'Personnage' (1949). A parallel exhibition of Agar's work will open at Alison Jacques in London this June.
This exhibition matters because it brings renewed attention to Eileen Agar, a significant yet often overlooked female surrealist who rose to prominence in the 1930s, exhibiting at the International Surrealist Exhibition in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. By showcasing her experimental use of materials and her deeply personal artistic language, the show underscores Agar's lasting influence and the ongoing reassessment of women artists within the surrealist movement, following her major 2021 retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery.