''London Bulletin'' was a monthly

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

art magazine which was affiliated with the London Gallery between April 1938 and June 1940. It was one of the most significant

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

publications.

History and profile

The plans to launch the magazine began following the international surrealist exhibition in London in 1936. The magazine was first published in April 1938 with the title ''London Gallery Bulletin''. It was renamed as ''London Bulletin'' from the second issue. It came out monthly, and its publisher was the Arno Press based in London. Later the Bradley Press became its publisher. The magazine was financed by Roland Penrose. ''London Bulletin'' regularly published the pamphlets of the exhibitions presented at the London Gallery. It frequently featured reproductions of surrealist paintings and poems of the surrealists. The

manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

of an Egyptian anarchist post-surrealist group, Art et Liberté (''Art and Freedom''), was published in the magazine in English in 1938. The group members were Anwar Kamel, Ramses Younan and Kamel el-Telmissany who would launch a magazine, '' Al Tatawwur'', in Cairo in 1940. In the document entitled "Long Live Degenerate Art!" they objected to the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

' views on " degenerate art" and the Marxists' notion "that modern society looks with aversion on any innovative creation in art and literature which threatens the cultural system on which that society is based, whether it be from the point of view of thought or of meaning." ''London Bulletin'' folded before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and its last issue, numbered 18–20, appeared in June 1940. The same year the London Gallery was also closed. ''London Gallery News'', a small newspaper, was the successor of ''London Bulletin''.

Editors and contributors

E. L. T. Mesens was the editor-in-chief. Humphrey Jennings contributed to the first two issues of the magazine and then began to work with Gordon Onslow Ford as an assistant editor to Mesens. Roland Penrose served as the assistant editor from issue 8/9 published in January 1939 and was replaced by George Reavey from issue 11 dated March 1939. Major contributors of ''London Bulletin'' included

Herbert Read Sir Herbert Edward Read, (; 4 December 1893 – 12 June 1968) was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read wa ...

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

, Eileen Agar, John Banting, Conroy Maddox, the French Paul Éluard,

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

, and

Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, writer, filmmaker, magazine publisher, poet, and typography, typographist closely associated with Dada. When consid ...

, as well as Belgian surrealist writer Marcel Mariën. Pictures by photographer Lee Miller appeared in several issues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Bulletin 1938 establishments in the United Kingdom 1940 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Avant-garde magazines Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1938 Magazines disestablished in 1940 Magazines published in London Visual arts magazines published in the United Kingdom Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Surrealist magazines

History and profile

Editors and contributors

See also

References