The Vorticist who was nearly painted out of history

Sarah Watling | Apollo | 27th October 2022

In 1915, Britain’s modernist impulse produced vorticism and Saunders was in its vanguard. Using an exuberant colour palette, she combined figurative forms with “hard edge” abstract elements. After a successful first exhibition, her story disappoints. Vorticism disappeared quickly under the social impact of WW1. Whether because of a lack of support or a change of mood, Saunders scarcely exhibited again, sank into obscurity and most of her work was destroyed by a bomb in WW2.