Edward Burra

Honky-Tonk Girl

About this artwork

This drawing reflects Burra’s delight in the cabarets, bars and nightspots he frequented in Paris and Toulon. Specifically, it relates to the ‘folies’ – the extravagant music-halls of Paris which Burra visited regularly in 1929. The dancers at these ‘folies’ wore cut-away dresses and regularly flaunted naked torsos as they danced with high kicks: much like Burra’s central figure who is framed in the spotlight. Typical of Burra’s style of this time, she displays a mask-like face with a large, lipstick smeared mouth. Burra’s desire to capture the sense of movement shows a debt to Vorticism and his deep admiration for the satirical drawings by George Grosz is also evident. There is a drawing of a seated woman on the verso.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    Edward Burra (1905 - 1976) English
  • title:
    Honky-Tonk Girl
  • date created:
    1929
  • materials:
    Pen and ink on paper
  • measurements:
    55.50 x 38.00 cm (framed: 77.60 x 58.90 x 2.00 cm)
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
  • accession number:
    GMA 3947
  • gallery:
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Edward Burra

Edward Burra