A New Exhibition Brings Fresh Recognition to a Groundbreaking But Largely Forgotten Surrealist At London’s Tate Britain, a major retrospective takes a long look at the work of Margaret Ithell Colquhoun Connections between the natural world, the divine and the erotic were a favorite theme for Colquhoun, who described Earth Process, 1940, as an “image from a half-conscious experience.” Tate, presented by the National Trust 2016. © Tate. Photo © Tate (Sam Day) British artist and writer Margaret Ithell Colquhoun was a pioneer of Surrealist “automatism,” creating images from charcoal shavings or letting her unconscious take charge of a pen. Such methods had a “divinatory power,” she explained, comparing them to “the practices of clairvoyants who use … tea leaves and coffee grounds to set in motion their telepathic faculty.” While she traveled in the same circles as household names like Salvador Dalí, Colquhoun broke with Surrealism in 1940 to focus on the occult, a move that may have contributed to her relative obscurity by the time of her death in 1988. This month, however, a major retrospective of Colquhoun’s work will open at London’s Tate Britain, after a stint at the museum’s Cornwall branch. It’s the first since her rediscovery by a new generation of artists drawn to her explorations of women’s sexuality, spirituality and the natural world. “Over the years I have followed the path blazed by Colquhoun,” writes the British artist Linder Sterling, in an essay about the show, and felt “her encouragement from beyond the grave.”    Gorgon, Ithell Colquhoun, 1946. Private Collection © Spire Healthcare, © Noise Abatement Society, © Samaritans Ages of Man, Ithell Colquhoun, 1944. Tate, Presented by the National Trust 2016, accessioned 2022 © Tate. Photo © Tate (Joe Humphrys) Alcove, Ithell Colquhoun, 1946. Private Collection © Spire Healthcare, © Noise Abatement Society, © Samaritans Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $19.99 This article is a selection from the June 2025 issue of Smithsonian magazine Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox. More about: Art Art History Artists Modern Art Surrealism