WHAT? Women & Freud: Patients, Pioneers, Artists

WHERE? Freud Museum , 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, London NW3 5SX 

WHEN? On until 5th May 2025 

WHY GO? To pay homage. They say behind every great man there’s a woman, but could it be true of the greatest ever psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud? 

Decide for yourself when you visit this great man’s former Hampstead home which still reverberates with echoes of his work, life and the women who inspired and admired him.

Starting with his own family; Freud’s love of his life was his wife Martha; and daughter Anna who followed in his footsteps and became a child psychoanalyst. She cared for him towards the end and her tender commentary on film is endearing.

This new ‘show’ focuses on women who shaped Freud’s life, from his family and patients to artists and writers who inspired him or who were equally in awe of his work. 

There’s Paula Rego, whose eerie sculpture Alice’s Oversized Chair greets visitors upon arrival and Tracey Emin, whose neon sign I Whisper to My Past Do I have Another Choice 

follows visitors up the stairs.  These famous women, amongst other contemporary artists like Rachel Kneebone and Cornelia Parker have all been inspired by Freudian sensibilities.

Letter’s, diaries, photographs and sketch-books illustrate the personal relationships he forged with women like Princess Marie Bonaparte who helped the family escape from Vienna in 1938 and became a lifelong friend and fellow analyst.

It’s intriguing to see contemporary artworks alongside Freud’s antiquities but crucially, it’s all about his personal ‘words’ in letters that reveal his innermost feelings, especially poignant as those between him and Martha . 

IN THE KNOW This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first publication of Freud’s work by the legendary Hogarth Press, founded by Virginia and Leonard Woolf whom he met during his last 

year in London.

Consequently a number of contemporary authors will be invited to give in-house talks related to 

their own work with analysts echoing Freud’s theories. 

Check the website for further info.