Dorothea Tanning (1910 – 2012) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, writer, and poet. A self-taught artist, in the surreal imagery of her early paintings she drew inspiration from many Gothic and Romantic novels. Tanning created images that were precise, figurative renderings of dream-like situations. Today, many regard her as a Surrealist painter, due to her close friendships with artists and writers of the early twentieth century Surrealist Movement.