In 1955 the Franco-Belgian poet and visual artist Henri Michaux (1899-1984) tried
\nthe psychedelic drug mescaline, an experience that transformed his artistic life and
\nprovoked an outpouring of writings and distinctive drawings. Accompanying an
\nexhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, this fascinating catalogue celebrates these unique
\ndrawings.
\nThis catalogue and exhibition celebrate the unique Mescaline Drawings by the Franco-
\nBelgian poet and visual artist Henri Michaux (1899-1984). In January 1955, as part of an
\nexperiment prompted by his publisher, Michaux, who was then 56 years old, tried the
\npsychedelic drug mescaline, a product derived from the Mexican peyote cactus. The
\naim of the experiment was to investigate the effect of this type of non-addictive drug
\non the creative act. Michaux considered these experiences to be a portal into the inner
\nworkings of the mind.
\nThe investigation transformed Michaux’s artistic life and provoked an outpouring
\nof writings and distinctive drawings during the 1950s and 1960s, the latter being
\nat the centre of this exhibition. Created after the effects of mescaline (and at times
\nother drugs such as hashish, LSD and psilocybin) had passed, the drawings are the
\nastonishing transcriptions of the artist’s sensation, rendered as if by a sort of shuddering
\nseismograph. This display and the accompanying catalogue, which present works rarely
\nseen in the UK, will showcase Michaux’s extraordinary experience, one that pushed the
\nlimits of what the essence of drawing is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 1955 the Franco-Belgian poet and visual artist Henri Michaux (1899-1984) tried the psychedelic drug mescaline, an experience that transformed his artistic life and provoked an outpouring of writings and distinctive drawings. Accompanying an exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, this fascinating catalogue celebrates these unique drawings. This catalogue and exhibition celebrate the unique Mescaline Drawings […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":46247,"template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[2948,2953],"product_tag":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n