Many know The College of Psychic Studies for its courses in psychic development, mediumship training, tarot and spirituality. However, some (especially those who follow our Instagram) know us for our rich archive of spirit-inspired and mediumistic art. One of the treasures in the College collection is an album of spirit drawings by pioneering Spiritualist, Georgiana Houghton. We are delighted that this album is currently on display at the 59th Venice Biennale.
The Venice Biennale, affectionately known as the Olympics of the art world, is particularly significant this year for its focus on female artists. Ninety per cent of the 213 featured artists are women – a record-breaking departure from the usual 10 to 30 per cent. The show's title, The Milk of Dreams, is taken from a children's book by the British-Mexican Surrealist Leonora Carrington. It's a nod to the show's inclusion of art inspired by the esoteric, witchcraft, occultism, Spiritualism and mediumship, as Carrington cultivated a deep interest in the esoteric, and developed her own Major Arcana.
It follows, then, that this year's Venice Biennale is an apt showcase for our album of Georgiana Houghton's spirit drawings. Not only was Georgiana a founding member of The College of Psychic Studies (then the London Spiritualist Alliance), she was also a pioneering spirit artist. Her spirit-inspired watercolours foreshadowed the works of Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian, popularly thought to be the grandfathers of abstract art.
The 59th Venice Biennale, The Milk of Dreams, showed until 27 November 2022. We're happy to have our album of Georgiana Houghton's spirit drawings safely returned to its home at the College!
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