Since the late 19th century, numerous artists and researchers became fascinated by the connections between new developments in psychoanalysis, spiritualism and art – an intertwining that was to impact on the development of art movements including Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. In this lecture, Jennifer Higgie will discuss artworks created by the British surgeon and psychology researcher Grace Pailthorpe; the surrealist Marion Adnams; the occultist Osman Austin Spare and others.

Biography
Jennifer Higgie is an Australian writer and former editor of frieze magazine who lives in London. Her recent books include The Other Side: A Story of Women, Art and the Spirit World (2023) and The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of women's self-portraits (2021). Her novel Bedlam, inspired by the Victorian fairy painter Richard Dadd, will be published by Verso in 2026. Jennifer is the host of the National Gallery of Australia’s podcast, Artist’s Artists. Her five-part essay for BBC Radio 3, Artists and the Spirit World, is available on BBC iPlayer.