Eden Box (1919 – 1988) or E.Box or ''Edna Box'', was a British artist who painted religious scenes often in a highly stylised, naive manner.

Biography

Box was born in London and studied at the

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

in central London between 1936 and 1939. She had a close friendship with the British writer and traveller, Lesley Blanch. After graduation she married professor Marston Fleming, a senior research fellow at

Imperial College, London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

, and accompanied him on his overseas research trips. These trips to North America, Asia, Africa and Russia provided Box with subjects for her paintings. She painted richly coloured animals and figures in a highly stylised manner and often with a Christian theme. ''The Expulsion'' (1951), now in the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, shows animals in the Garden of Eden with two small human figures under a flaming sword flanked by angels. Box also used literature as a source and referenced works by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

Andrew Marvell Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...

and

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

in her paintings. Box's style was described as "strange" and her artwork as "unique" in ''The China Mail'' (1958). In 1964, Box took part in the exhibition ''The World of the Innocents'' held at the

Musée National d'Art Moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou. In 2021 it ranked 10th in the list of ...

in Paris. A 1981 retrospective exhibition of her work at the

David Carritt Hugh David Graham Carritt (15 April 1927 – 3 August 1982) was a British art historian, dealer and critic, who was described by ''The New York Times'' as being "responsible for more sensational discoveries in the field of Old Master painting sin ...

gallery had a catalogue featuring an introduction written by

Howard Hodgkin Sir Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin (6 August 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a British painter and printmaker. His work is most often associated with abstraction. Early life Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin was born on 6 August 1932 in Hammersmith, Londo ...

, who was a great admirer of her work. Other retrospectives were held in 1956 and 1979 at galleries in

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...

also championed her work in a 1978 article for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

''. Box's first solo exhibition was held in 1949 at the

Hanover Gallery The Hanover Gallery was an art gallery in London. It was opened in June 1948 by the German art expert Erica Brausen and financier and art collector Arthur Jeffress at 32A St. George's Street, W1, and closed on 31 March 1973. It was named after ...

in London and in all she had fifteen solo exhibitions, including one in Rome and two in New York at the

Betty Parsons Gallery Betty Parsons (born Betty Bierne Pierson, January 31, 1900 – July 23, 1982) was an American artist, art dealer, and collector known for her early promotion of Abstract Expressionism. She is regarded as one of the most influential and dynamic f ...

in 1953 and 1958, during her career.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Box, Eden 1919 births 1988 deaths 20th-century English painters Artists from London Pseudonymous painters 20th-century English women painters Alumni of the Regent Street Polytechnic

Biography

References

Further reading

External links