Picasso and the Surrealist summer

Summary

Witness History: Picasso and the Surrealist Summer

Presented by: Jonathan Charlton
Release Date: June 10, 2026
Duration: 9 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode of Witness History transports listeners to the summer of 1937 in the south of France, where some of the 20th century’s most influential artists, writers, and photographers–including Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller, Roland Penrose, Man Ray, and Aileen Agar–shared a sun-soaked holiday. Through first-hand accounts, primarily from a 1985 BBC interview with Aileen Agar, the episode reveals the interplay of creativity, camaraderie, and looming political anxiety that colored this gathering of Surrealists on the eve of World War II.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Setting the Scene: Summer in Mougins

[00:00–01:35]

• Host Jonathan Charlton introduces the unique premise: history relived through a blend of archival audio and first-person testimony.
• Aileen Agar describes a quintessential Surrealist lunch with Picasso:
  • The women in bikinis, men bare-chested, and the scene is interrupted by a giant hornet—which Picasso nonchalantly slices in half with a carving knife, to everyone’s applause.
    • "Picasso watched it and he got up and took a carving knife and he went like and cut it in two and we all clapped... we thought it was marvellous." —Aileen Agar [00:56]

Aileen Agar’s Introduction to Surrealism

[01:35–02:41]

• Agar reflects on her artistic evolution from traditional portraiture to Surrealism:
  • She left portrait painting to embrace imaginative freedom after being inspired in Paris.
    • "I was interested in expanding and so I packed up and went to Paris and... felt rather liberated. People were doing things out of their imagination." —Aileen Agar [01:57]
• Embraced Surrealism as a quest for a deeper reality:
  • "The Surrealists were always trying to probe into something deeper than face value, the other reality which is deeper than the reality you see." —Aileen Agar [02:41]

Creating Surrealist Art from Found Objects

[02:41–03:52]

• Agar discusses her method, using washed-up and everyday objects:
  • Notably, her “ceremonial hat” adorned with marine debris.
    • "It really was a cork basket... I put it upside down and turned it into a hat...I enjoyed putting as many shells and fish, fish bones and anything to do with the sea, I gathered together." —Aileen Agar [03:27]

Entering the Surrealist Circle

[03:52–05:10]

• Invited into the Surrealist inner circle by Roland Penrose, Agar describes a warm welcome.
  • "They greeted me very warmly into their circle and took an interest in my work." —Aileen Agar [04:07]
• Anecdote about nearly ‘killing’ Picasso in a car accident on the way to Mougins.
  • "I've nearly killed Picasso in a motor accident...he got knocked on his chest, but luckily he wasn't hurt." —Aileen Agar [04:23]

The Holiday: Daily Life Among Surrealists

[05:10–06:31]

• A carefree routine emerges: long lunches, swimming, dancing, and art.
  • "We used to have lunch in the courtyard and there was a lot of laughter and gaiety... It was very pleasant." —Aileen Agar [05:22]
• Agar bonds with Picasso over found objects and shares a playful exchange about discarded shoes on the beach:
  • "I brought them back and I offered them to Picasso as an offering homage. And he laughed...He said, yes, I saw those. I nearly thought of making something out of them." —Aileen Agar [05:39]

The Shadow of War

[06:31–07:08]

• The growing threat of war is ever-present:
  • Archive voices punctuate the looming violence in Spain under Franco, and Hitler’s militarization in Germany.
  • "We knew that war was coming and Picasso himself would say, there's no question about it, there's going to be a war." —Aileen Agar [06:51]

Escapism in Art and Friendship

[07:08–08:08]

• The group tries to ignore the impending crisis:
  • Beachcombing, photography, poetry, and collage fill their days.
  • Picasso’s studio reveals works in progress and a trunk of potential sculptural materials.
  • "He opened this trunk on the balcony and it was full of shards or pieces of pottery or anything that he found that interested him..." —Aileen Agar [07:47]

After the Summer: War and Survival

[08:08–08:37]

• Wartime disperses the group; Agar doesn’t know Picasso's fate until Lee Miller (as a photojournalist with the American forces) hugs him at the Liberation of Paris.
  • "Lee Miller...got to Paris with them at the Liberation and the first person she went to see was Picasso and he was jolly glad to see her. It was marvellous." —Aileen Agar [08:29]

Aileen Agar’s Later Life and Work

[08:37–09:03]

• Agar returns to London, continues exhibiting internationally, and reflects on her passion for art:
  • "I'm very happy as long as I can work. I would be very distressed to live a long time if I couldn't work because I wouldn't know what to do with myself." —Aileen Agar [08:51]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Surrealist vision:
  "The Surrealists were always trying to probe into...the other reality which is deeper than the reality that you see." —Aileen Agar [02:41]

• On the mood in Mougins:
  "We used to have lunch in the courtyard and there was a lot of laughter and gaiety...It was very pleasant." —Aileen Agar [05:22]

• On art and playfulness:
  "I offered them [shoe bits] to Picasso as offering homage. And he laughed...I nearly thought of making something out of them, which was rather amusing." —Aileen Agar [05:39]

• On the specter of war:
  "We knew that war was coming and Picasso himself would say, there's no question about it, there's going to be a war." —Aileen Agar [06:51]

• On survival and reunion:
  "Lee Miller was the first to see him because she was working with the American forces...he was jolly glad to see her. It was marvellous." —Aileen Agar [08:29]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• The Legendary Picnic & Picasso’s Hornet Heroics: [00:56]
• Agar on Discovering Surrealism: [01:57]
• Creation of Surrealist ‘Ceremonial Hat’: [03:27]
• Anecdote: Nearly ‘Killing’ Picasso in a Car Ride: [04:23]
• Summer Routine & Found Object Exchange with Picasso: [05:22–05:39]
• The Imminent Threat of War: [06:40–07:08]
• Picasso’s Studio and Creative Process: [07:20]
• War’s Impact & Lee Miller’s Reunion with Picasso: [08:08–08:29]
• Agar’s Life Philosophy: [08:51]

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Episode Takeaways

“Picasso and the Surrealist Summer” offers a vivid, intimate look at the community and creativity of pre-war European artists, filtered through the unique voice of Aileen Agar. The juxtaposition of sunlit camaraderie and ominous political developments encapsulates both the escapist power of art and the vulnerability of its creators. The episode closes with a heartfelt appreciation for Agar's resilience and dedication to her craft—a testimony to the enduring power of artistic community in uncertain times.

Transcript

[Jonathan Charlton]

Foreign. BBC World Service. And now witness history with me, Jonathan Charlton. If you've heard us before, feel free to skip on a few seconds, but if you haven't, then thanks for dropping by. We're the podcast that brings history to life in just nine minutes through the eyes of one key witness and lots of truly amazing news archive. So if you enjoy it, please subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. But first, I'm a digital archivist with the BBC, which means that every day I get to listen to amazing stories from the past. And this is just one of them. It's the summer of 1937 and some of the 20th century's most famous artists, writers and photographers are holidaying in the south of France. Under the blue sky and hot sun. Pablo Picasso was sitting at a picnic table.

[Aileen Agar]

We were all lunching in the courtyard and we all had our bikinis on, the women at least, and the men just bare chested. An enormous hornet came buzzing round the table and we women were sort of shrinking into our skins. You see the terrifying thing and Picasso watched it and he got up and took a carving knife and he went like and cut it in two and we all clapped because, you know, cut a buzzing hornet in two. First time. We thought it was marvellous.

[Jonathan Charlton]

Meet surrealist artist Aileen Agar, interviewed by the BBC in 1985. She's one of the holidaymakers who also include photographer Lee Miller, her lover Roland Penrose, poet Paul Elwahr and the painter Man Ray. Eileen's invitation to join this circle is recent. Earlier in her career she'd been a different type of artist.

[Aileen Agar]

I'd been doing portraits and I think they were quite good, but I felt I didn't want to be a portrait painter for the rest of my life. You have to paint people whom you mightn't be interested in and it would become a sort of routine thing and I was interested in expanding and so I packed up and went to Paris and saw these paintings and I felt rather liberated. People were doing things out of their imagination. I had never tried that, but I wanted to very much.

[Jonathan Charlton]

Eileen had discovered surrealism, a style of art inspired by dreams and hidden thoughts that can look strange and bizarre. And she becomes a keen convert.

[Aileen Agar]

It seemed to me to be so natural. The Surreyists were always trying to probe into something deeper than face value, the other reality which is deeper than the reality that you see.

[Jonathan Charlton]

Eileen begins using everyday objects and washed up debris for her creations. Among her most famous works is a wearable sculpture, also known as the ceremonial hat for Eton Boya base.

[Interviewer]

What is it? It's 18 inches wide and 18 inches high. There's a lobster, a tigerfish, a prawn, seashells and marine flowers. And a starfish. Something to eat? No, a hat. From the creation of Surrealist artist Eileen Agar to the man in the street. It's all a bit confusing.

[Aileen Agar]

It really was a cork basket. And I thought, it's no use to me as a basket. What on earth can I do with it? So I put it upside down and turned it into a hat. And of course, a hat needs decoration. And I enjoyed putting as many shells and fish, fish bones and anything that to do with the sea, I gathered together.

[Jonathan Charlton]

And with Eileen's new artistic style comes an introduction to a new set of people, the Surrealists. Examples of her work are even included in the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition organized by artist Roland Penrose.

[Aileen Agar]

They greeted me very warmly into their circle and took an interest in my work.

[Jonathan Charlton]

By the summer of 1937, Alien is among the group invited to the south of France, where Picasso is also staying in Mougins.

[Aileen Agar]

I naturally couldn't say no to an invitation like that. And Roland met us in Cannes and motored us up. And on the way he said, I've nearly killed Picasso in a motor accident. I said, good heavens, what a dreadful thing to say. And he said, well, he wasn't hurt, but evidently he was driving up and another lorry or something came in and he had to swerve so much. And Picasso was sitting in the front and he had to lean without any seat belts like one had nowadays. And he got knocked on his chest, but luckily he wasn't hurt. And when we arrived there, we were met by all of them and it was very lovely.

[Jonathan Charlton]

It was the start of a fortnight of sunbathing, swimming and picnics. Scenes featured in the 2023 film Lee about Miller's life and career.

[Aileen Agar]

We used to have lunch in the courtyard and there was a lot of laughter and gaiety. It was very pleasant. And then we used to go, all of us, to dance. So I was thinking we should swim there for cocktails this evening. Wonderful. I agree. Picasso liked meeting friends that he knew through somebody else, you see, they wouldn't be difficult. He didn't like people he didn't know. And so I met Picasso. He was lying on his tummy in the sand just before he went in for a swim. And I'd walked along the beach beforehand to see what I could find. I was always looking for material to make objects out of. And I'd come across an awful lot of discarded bits of old leather which had been shoes and I brought them back and I offered them to Picasso as offering homage. And he laughed at a whole pile of these odd looking bits and pieces of rubber. He said, yes, I saw those. He said, I nearly thought of making something out of them which was rather amusing.

[Jonathan Charlton]

But elsewhere in Europe, the threat of war is growing. In Germany, Adolf Hitler is in power and there's civil war in Spain.

[Narrator]

Night after night, all over Spain, men are torn from their weeping families lined up and shot. Scores of cities, towns and villages have been bombarded and burnt. More than 200 churches have gone up in flames.

[Aileen Agar]

We knew that war was coming and Picasso himself would say, there's no question about it, there's going to be a war.

[Narrator]

For the great military parade through Berlin's Tiergarten shows that once again Germany has a real army with more than half a million men ready to strike at a moment's notice.

[Jonathan Charlton]

In France, the group tried to ignore the threat. Aileen goes beachcombing Lee Miller photographs Picasso Roland Penrose makes collages Paul Alois writes

[Aileen Agar]

Picasso let us in his room once or twice he used it as his studio and when we went in there was a piece of brown paper on the floor with colour on it which he used as a palette. And he had these little paintings either pinned on drawing pins or else hanging on the wall. And another time he'd gone to Cannes to buy a trunk, a small traveling black trunk. And he opened this trunk on the balcony and it was full of shards or pieces of pottery or anything that he found that interested him that he could make an object out of.

[Jonathan Charlton]

This summer won't be the last time the surrealists meet, but for Eileen it is perhaps the most carefree.

[Aileen Agar]

In two years time the war broke out, you see, the Nazis started their terrible doings and we didn't know what had happened to Picasso for a long time. But then Lee Miller was the first to see him because she was working with the American forces and she got to Paris with them at the Liberation and the first person he went to see was Picasso and he was jolly glad to see her. It was marvellous.

[Jonathan Charlton]

During the war Eileen returns to London later showing her works at exhibitions in New York, Tokyo, Paris and Amsterdam. One of the few female surrealist artists of her time.

[Aileen Agar]

I'm very happy as long as I can work. I would be very distressed to live a long time if I couldn't work because I wouldn't know what to do. With myself.

[Jonathan Charlton]

Eileen agar died in 1991 at the age of 91. Witness history was presented by me, Jonathan Charlton and produced by Jane Wilkinson using BBC archive and film excerpts from Lee, directed by Ellen Kourash and produced by Sky Original. And if you want to hear more stories about the surrealists, why not look out for more Witness History Stories about Salvador Dali in Spain, Lee Miller in Hitler's Bath, and the Emergency Rescue Committee who saved Europe's artists from the Nazis. Then tell your friends and remember. Hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Thanks and bye for now.

[Sound Effects/Background Voices]

A moment in time captured by what they heard.

[Jonathan Charlton]

I heard some people making phone calls.

[Aileen Agar]

Okay, which Runway would you like at Teterborough?

[Jonathan Charlton]

What they saw I put my head down. I saw the movie of my life started going through my head.

[Sound Effects/Background Voices]

What they smelt.

[Jonathan Charlton]

I still remember the smell of the

[Aileen Agar]

fresh fish and I completely lost my appetite.

[Sound Effects/Background Voices]

Moments captured which last for a lifetime.

[Jonathan Charlton]

Scientists have made the atomic bomb that

[Aileen Agar]

sort of flash set on fire the

[Jonathan Charlton]

birds and they all fell down without their feathers. On the way was clear for Hitler to realize all his demonic plans.

[Sound Effects/Background Voices]

Stories from people with first hand accounts of events that have shaped our world.

[Jonathan Charlton]

At the end, Kissinger called me into his office and he said he did a good job. I left the obvious with tears in my eyes.

[Aileen Agar]

She called me and told me I'm doing Studio 54. She had already become a star in Paris. She came back a superstar.

[Sound Effects/Background Voices]

Listen now, search for Witness History wherever you get your BBC podcasts.