Kay Sage created this work, one of her most somber and desolate, shortly after the death of her husband, fellow Surrealist painter Yves Tanguy (1900–1955). The title likely refers to the folk legend that says a wild bird flying into a house is a premonition of death—an actual event that Sage experienced shortly before Tanguy passed away. After his unexpected death, Sage developed a degenerative sight disease that caused blurred vision and made it difficult for her to paint. She devoted her time to writing poetry and creating small collages but lived with depression, eventually dying by suicide in 1963.
- By Kay Sage (American, 1898–1963)
- Dated 1955
- Rights: Copyrighted
Terms
Culture
America
Medium
oil on canvas
Genre
Painting
Department
American Painting and Sculpture
Relations
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