Lee Miller

Lee Miller (1907-1977) assumed many roles over the course of her remarkable life--from avant-gardist to commercial photographer to war correspondent and photojournalist--and to each of these roles she brought her unique artistic sensibility. Though she was intimately connected with many of the leading figures associated with surrealism, including Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Pablo Picasso, and participated in major exhibitions of her time, Miller was also at times marginalized in the art world as a woman and as a photographer in an era when photography's status as an art form was not widely accepted. Her genre-bending work incorporated portraiture, fashion, still life, landscape, reportage, and advertising: fearless, poetic and surreal, it reveals a world of uncanny beauty and sensual ambiguity--often with a humorous edge.

Drawing on new primary research, Lee Miller features essays exploring every aspect of Miller's career, from her early years in Paris, New York, and Cairo to her wartime journalism and late portraits. Additionally, the British novelist, playwright, and poet Deborah Levy offers a personal reflection on Miller and her art. Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of images, the book provides a comprehensive exploration of Lee Miller, revealing her as one of the most urgent creative voices of the twentieth century.

Published in association with Tate

Exhibition Schedule:

Tate Britain
>Art Institute of Chicago
(August 28-December 7, 2026)