After Leonora Carrington and to close this chapter on surrealist women artists, let’s discover the voice of Valentine Hugo, an artist consumed by art whose work ethic and determination are perceptible in the account she gives of her life. 
She first became interested in dance and music and, after being drawn to the world of theatre, made numerous costumes and sets, collaborating regularly with the most famous directors and choreographers of her time. From 1931 onwards, she became one of the few women officially introduced into the surrealist group. She designed installations from encounters or collages of found objects. During this period, she also began to paint numerous portraits of her entourage, always from memory.

The podcast Great Women of Art gives a voice to women artists of the 20th century. They speak about their work, their lives, the world around them and their achievements. Let us go in search of their presence, their secrets. Let us rediscover the hidden history of women artists through their voices.Great Women of Art is a podcast produced by AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, in collaboration with the Institut national de l’audiovisuel, with the support of Maison Veuve Clicquot and the Ministry of Culture’s Délégation à la transmission, aux territoires et à la démocratie culturelle. 
 
AWARE is a non-profit organization co-founded in 2014 by Camille Morineau.
Coordinated by: Mathilde de Croix and the AWARE team
Directed by: Élodie Royer
Music by: Juliano Gil
Credits: Andrew Nelson
Sound Editing: Basile Beaucaire
Research Advisors: Catherine Gonnard and Marjorie Micucci
Translation: Beth Gordon
French Voice: Camille Morineau
English Voice: Lou Doillon
Translation of the Artist’s Voice: Eve Dayre

Illustration : Fanny Michaëlis, Valentine Hugo, 2021
© Fanny Michaëlis