Novels in Art History
The History of Art is full of romances whether in his paintings or in real life with the union of the artists themselves. Passengers or eternal loves, art brought together several couples. These were able to inspire each other, making new creations flourish. What were the works they created? How did these relationships come about? In this article, discover five couples who made their mark in the history of art for their creativity and joint dynamics.
Marina Abramovic and Ulay
Pioneers in performance art,Marina Abramovic and Ulay, established the boundaries between life and art. Their bodies were the essential elements for their works that explored physical and mental limits in real situations of suffering. In the performance "YY-YYY(1978), the couple sat opposite each other as they screamed constantly increasing in pitch until one of them fainted. The couple continued to live and work between 1976 and 1988, ending their relationship with the final artwork "lovers” (1988), in which each of them started walking on opposite sides of the Great Wall of China, until they reached each other after 90 days. Other extremely well-known performances are “Rest Energy” (1980), Marina and Ulay each drew one end of a bow, with Ulay holding an arrow aimed at the heart of Marina, thus demonstrating the analogies of passion, tension, physical connection and endurance that a romantic relationship entails. After several decades apart, the artists meet in performance "The Artist Is Present" (2010) at MoMA, in which the two shared a minute of silence.
Marina Abramovic and Ulay
Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar had an intense relationship for nine years, while the painter remained married to Marie-Thérère Walter. The photographer documented Guernica's creative process and inspired the famous painting “The Woman Who Cry”. Dora's life was focused on Pablo Picasso, having accompanied him on several trips until the painter abandoned it for Françoise Gillot, in the late 1940s.
Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar
Salvador Dalí and Gala
In 1929, Salvador Dalí met his eternal muse, Gala. When they met, at the Surrealist artist's home in Cadaqués, Elena Diakonova (Gala) was still married to Paul Eluard. The intense passion between the two led to Gala's divorce from Paul Eluard. Until the end of her days, Gala was the surrealist artist's companion and muse, supporting him in his work and in other extramarital relationships.
Salvador Dalí and Gala
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
The love of art and political and cultural beliefs united Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. In 1929, they got married and later held several exhibitions in the United States, meeting some of the greatest artists of that time, such as Picasso, Breton or Kandinsky. After Diego Rivera had an affair with his sister-in-law, the couple divorced. However, in 1940 they married again and remained together until the death of Frida Kahlo in 1954.
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
gilbert & george
Gilbert and George met in the 1960s at St Martin's School of Art. Since then they have lived and worked together. Their works inspired by London's East End setting - where they live and work - question artistic conventions and social taboos. From street signs to Ginkgo trees, from chewing gum on the sidewalk to landscapes of urban decay, his works are an ongoing portrait of our world, a reflection on the human condition and his beliefs about the purpose of art in our future. Gilbert & George continue to debate, through their works, fundamental questions of existence such as death, hope, life, fear, sex, money, race and religion.
“All of these artworks that we do are disturbing… we disturb the liberals inside the bigots and the bigots inside the liberals.-Gilbert
gilbert & george