A major painting by one of the key figures of Surrealist art has been acquired by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and will go on public display for the first time this week.

The Message of the Forest, which was painted in 1936, is by the Czech artist known as Toyen, and is the first of her paintings to enter a UK public collection.

It was acquired with support from the Walton Fund and Art Fund.

Born Marie ?ermínová in 1902, Toyen was a member the group of Surrealist artists based in Prague, a major centre of Surrealist art in the 1930s.

Toyen changed her name in 1923, and was known for cutting her hair short, dressing in men's clothes or wearing working men's clothes.

The Message of the Forest depicts a blue bird against a dark wooded background, the ‘forest’ of the title.

From 1925-28 Toyen and her partner, the artist Jan Štyrský, lived in Paris.

Returning to Prague, she was a founding member of the Czech Surrealist Group and she was supported in particular by André Breton, the leading figure in the Surrealist movement.

Through trips to Paris, Toyen became friendly with many of the leading figures in the French Surrealist group, including Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy and Salvador Dalí.

The Message of the Forest belonged to Roy and Mary Cullen, American collectors who amassed an unrivalled collection of Czech Surrealism.

Following Roy’s death in 2014, parts of the collection were sold.

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art negotiated the purchase of The Message of the Forest in a private sale, via Christie’s, London.

The acquisition was made possible due to funding from the Walton Fund and the Art Fund.

Henry Walton (1924-2012) and Sula Walton (1924-2009) were psychiatrists and art collectors who lived in Edinburgh and were closely involved with the National Galleries of Scotland.

They established a charitable fund specifically to support the Gallery of Modern Art in making new acquisitions.

Simon Groom, director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, said: "The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is known internationally for its world-class collection of Surrealist art.

"There are however, three things to note about the collection: firstly we have few works by women Surrealists; secondly we have nothing by the Czech Surrealists; and thirdly much of what we do have dates from around 1936, when the celebrated International Surrealist exhibition was staged in London, and Roland Penrose, its co-organiser, bought many of the works which we now own.

"The Message of the Forest, Toyen’s most celebrated work, fills a big gap for us and also perfectly complements our existing collection."

Stephen Deuchar, Director of Art Fund, added: "This haunting work is an excellent addition to the SNGMA’s exceptional collection of Surrealist art.

"There are no other paintings by Toyen or the Czech Surrealists in any other UK public collection, so we are very pleased to be supporting such an important acquisition, for both the museum and its visitors."