Grace Pailthorpe (1883 – 1971)

Grace Pailthorpe was a leading British Surrealist whose style remained intact until her death in her mid 80s. After distinguished war service as a surgeon in Australia, she moved to England in 1922, where her radical theories on the treatment of delinquency and prisoners were supported by all the leading philosophers of the day. The Portman Clinic remains a monument to her vision, for she believed that human liberation was inexplicably linked with the complete freedom of expression. With her husband, the painter and writer Reuben Mednikoff, she explored the subconscious through painting – their art married to a scientific exploration of psychoanalysis. There is a strong sense of visionary persistence in all her work.