Henri Michaux

In 1955 the Franco-Belgian poet and visual artist Henri Michaux (1899—1984) triedthe psychedelic drug mescaline, an experience that transformed his artistic life andprovoked an outpouring of writings and distinctive drawings. Accompanying anexhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, this fascinating catalogue celebrates these uniquedrawings.This catalogue and exhibition celebrate the unique Mescaline Drawings by the Franco-Belgian poet and visual artist Henri Michaux (1899–1984). In January 1955, as part of anexperiment prompted by his publisher, Michaux, who was then 56 years old, tried thepsychedelic drug mescaline, a product derived from the Mexican peyote cactus. Theaim of the experiment was to investigate the effect of this type of non-addictive drugon the creative act. Michaux considered these experiences to be a portal into the innerworkings of the mind.The investigation transformed Michaux’s artistic life and provoked an outpouringof writings and distinctive drawings during the 1950s and 1960s, the latter beingat the centre of this exhibition. Created after the effects of mescaline (and at timesother drugs such as hashish, LSD and psilocybin) had passed, the drawings are theastonishing transcriptions of the artist’s sensation, rendered as if by a sort of shudderingseismograph. This display and the accompanying catalogue, which present works rarelyseen in the UK, will showcase Michaux’s extraordinary experience, one that pushed thelimits of what the essence of drawing is.