Toyen

Toyen (1902-1980) was a Czech Surrealist painter, illustrator, and printmaker. She was a key figure in the Czech Surrealist movement and was known for her enigmatic and provocative artworks that often explored themes of gender and sexuality.

Toyen was born Marie Čermínová in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), and studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In the 1920s, she became involved with the Czech Surrealist group, which was influenced by the French Surrealist movement led by André Breton. Toyen's early works were influenced by Cubism and Futurism, but she later developed a distinctive style characterized by strange, organic forms and ambiguous, dreamlike imagery.

Toyen's work often dealt with themes of eroticism and the subconscious, and she frequently depicted androgynous figures or female characters in ambiguous or unsettling situations. Her work was banned by the Nazi regime during World War II, and she was forced to go underground as a member of the resistance. After the war, she became a prominent figure in the Czech avant-garde and continued to produce provocative and experimental works until her death in 1980.