The Ugly Duckling: A Fairy Tale of Transformation and Beauty

In connection with the exhibition Marina Abramovic - The Cleaner, a new edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly Duckling, featuring illustrations by Marina Abramovic.

I had a strong personal desire to illustrate Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling’, reflects pioneering performance artist Marina Abramovic. ‘As a young child and growing adolescent, I felt a complete identification with the story. I, too, was the ugly duckling.'Andersen’s story of the ugly duckling that endures torment and loneliness before becoming a beautiful swan has resonated with readers since it was first published in 1843. Now, in this beautiful new edition of the classic fairy tale, Abramovic reimagines the story by adding new pen and crayon illustrations to the original text.

This volume is the second publication in a series of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales illustrated by contemporary artists, following the huge success of 2016’s The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen & Yayoi Kusama.