· More Than a Muse launches on Tue 8 March (International Women’s Day) at The Scottish Storytelling Centre’s Exhibition Space in Edinburgh. Launch is free but ticketed.
· Eight contemporary artists will showcase new work that highlights women from art history who have been eclipsed by the title of ‘The Muse’
· The exhibition will run from Tue 8 March – Sun 10 April and is free entry.
More than a Muse, a new exhibition launching tomorrow, Tue 8 March (International Women’s Day) at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh will celebrate the lesser-known narratives of women from art history whilst simultaneously showcasing new work from current women artists.
Eight contemporary artists will showcase new work in celebration of women from art history who have been eclipsed by their title of ‘The Muse’. Artists whose stories deserve to be told and who deserve to have their work celebrated. Who didn’t just inspire great art, but also created it, yet are rarely seen as a creative force in their own right. Not just a face on another artist’s canvas, they are more than that, more than a muse.
This exhibition is an opportunity to tell and reclaim these lesser-known narratives and will spotlight the lives of women such as Stella Cartwright known as ‘The Muse of Rose Street’. Stella was the lover and muse of many Scottish poets including George Mackay Brown. Although her poetry was unpublished, she was an artist and poet in her own right. Stella’s life will be reimagined in a monologue by playwright and performer, Jo Clifford.
Dora Maar was a French photographer, painter, and poet. She is often referred to as lover and muse of Pablo Picasso and is depicted in several of Picasso’s paintings. She was a rising star in the surrealist circle of the 1930s and a great commercial and fashion photographer, but under Picasso’s influence she gave up photography and withdrew from the art scene altogether.
By some accounts, the beginning of Dora Maar’s relationship with Pablo Picasso marked the end of her own artistic career. It wasn’t until her death in 1997 that art historians were finally able to examine Maar’s masterful body of work in full. Maar’s work will be creatively interpreted by photographer, Monchromemaud.
Kitty Garman was muse to Lucian Freud but was an artist in her own right. Their five-year relationship was turbulent and became increasingly unstable due to Freud’s alleged infidelities and womanising, which took their toll on Garman’s health. Her life will be celebrated in a new series of acrylics by artist Harry Mould.
Others in the series are as follows:
| The Muse | Backstory | Contemporary Artist and art form |
| Stella (‘Muse of Rose Street’) Cartwright | Cartwright was a Scottish muse and lover to a number of Scottish poets including George Mackay Brown. She was a poet and painter in her own right. | Jo Clifford, poetry |
| Dora Maar | Maar was muse to Picasso but was a photographer and painter in her own right. | Monochromemaud, Photography |
| Kitty Garman | Garman was muse to Lucian Freud but was an artist in her own right. | Harry Mould, acrylic and oil |
| Julia Warhola | Muse and mother of Andy Warhol but was an artist in her own right | Emma Macleod, sculpture |
| Lee Miller | Muse to Man Ray but was a photographer in her own right | Maria Poyato, sculpture |
| Elizabeth Siddal | Pre-Raphaelite muse but poet and artist in her own right. | Geraldine Brennan, illustration |
| Hannah Höch | Muse to Raul Haussman but artist and photomontagist in her own right. | Lada Wilson,Photomontage |
| Georgia O’Keeffe | Muse to Alfred Stieglitz, celebrated artist in her own right | Misia-O, photography |
The launch is supported by a performance organised by the Scottish Storytelling Forum. Performance poet Imogen Stirling will share spoken word poetry whilst storyteller, Ailsa Dixon will tell inspirational tales of women from folklore to celebrate International Women’s Day and to mark the exhibition launch.
More Than A Muse will be displayed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre from Tue 8 Mar – Sun 10 April. No tickets required. (Please note in March 2022 the Centre is closed on Wednesdays).
Tickets for the launch on Tue 8 March are free or by donation and can be found on the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s website. https://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com/ 0131 556 9579
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