Dorothea Tanning: Birthday | Custom prints | Tate Shop

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Dorothea Tanning

Birthday, 1942

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About the artwork

In her memoirs, Tanning says that this painting was titled by her future husband, Max Ernst, on his first visit to her studio, to look for art to include in the Exhibition by 31 Women show at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of this Century Gallery. It is a Surrealist self-portrait, as Tanning stands in a vertigo-inducing room of tilted floors and infinite doors, clad in a jacket with a train of seaweed twisted into human figure shapes, with a winged, lemur-like creature as her familiar. Doors are a recurring theme in Tanning’s work, which she attributed to a nightmare she once had of an infinite succession of doors.

Abstract Art

Artist Dorothea Tanning
Artwork Birthday
Exhibition Dorothea Tanning
Date of work 1942
Credit Oil on canvas 102.2 × 64.8 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art: 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Purchased with funds contributed by C. K. Williams, II, 1999 1999-50-1 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dorothea Tanning (1910 – 2012) was an American artist, writer and poet. Aside from three weeks of tuition at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art in 1930, she was entirely self-taught. Although often described as a Surrealist artist, after the 1940s Tanning moved away from surrealist themes and evolved her own personal style. She lived with her fellow artist and husband, Max Ernst, in France from 1949 until Ernst’s death in 1976. In 1980, she moved to New York, and after a decade of studio art there, turned to writing and poetry in the 1990s, which she continued until her death at the age of 101.

DELIVERIES AND RETURNS

Delivery times

We aim to deliver custom prints within 2-4 weeks. As each print is handmade to order they take a little longer to prepare. We’ll dispatch your order as soon as it is ready, separately from any other items.

We currently offer free standard delivery on all UK orders over £60. Here’s more information on delivery.

Refunds and returns

As custom prints are made to order, unfortunately we cannot accept returns if you have changed your mind or made a mistake. If we have made a mistake, or there is a problem with your order, then please contact our customer service team at shop@tate.org.uk.

Here’s more information on refunds & returns.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When will my order be delivered?

We aim to deliver your made-to-order custom print within 1-2 weeks for UK orders, and within 2-4 weeks for international delivery. You can see an estimated delivery date on the product page, on the green banner above the size and frame options.

Our custom prints are produced and shipped directly from our print workshop and arrive separately to all other items. You can learn more about delivery here.

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The best thing to do is email us as soon as possible at shop@tate.org.uk or call us on +44 (0)207 887 8888 with your order number, ideally within 24 hours. Please note that as custom prints are made to order, if production has already started, we won’t be able to make any amendments to the print itself, but we can change your delivery name and address if the order has not been dispatched yet.

I've changed my mind, can I cancel my order?

As custom prints are made to order, unfortunately you can’t cancel your order after production has started (typically within 24 hours). If you get in touch with us within 24 hours, our team will check on the status of your order and do whatever they can to help you out.

Can I return my print?

Because our prints and frames are made to order, custom prints can only be returned if they’re faulty or we’ve made a mistake. If this is the case, please contact us straight away with details and images of the problem, so we can arrange for a refund or replacement for you. You can find further information regarding refunds and returns here.

About Our Prints

Our custom prints are high-quality, made-to-order fine art print reproductions of Tate collection and exhibition artworks. Available in a choice of sizes and hand-made frames, they’re created using state of the art technology and sustainably sourced materials by our Sussex-based print specialists.