Man Ray set a figure with big glass tears and pitch pipes on the head while the one that drew the greatest attention was Masson’s Girl in a black gag with a pansy mouth its head in a wicker birdcage, and its mouth covered with a velvet fabric decorated with a pansy. The one designed by Paalen was covered in moss and fungi and had a bat on her head. The hallway was also lined by sixteen mannequins rented from a French manufacturer, each provocatively costumed by a different artist. It was a dark, long corridor marked by street signs, referring both to actual Parisian streets and surrealistic symbols and obsessions such as Rue de la Transfusion-du-Sang (‘Blood Transfusion Street’) and Rue Cerise (‘Cherry Street’). Leading from the lobby was the Plus belles rues de Paris (‘The most beautiful streets of Paris’), the first of two main sections. Two mannequins, a man with a shark-head and a woman dressed in an evening gown, sat inside surrounded by lettuce and chicory as well as live snails crawling around. On the contrary, they were encouraged to follow a dreamlike path – at times amusing, at times disturbing – in an incessantly stimulating environment.Ī typical visit began in the forecourt where Dalí’s Taxi Pluvieux (‘Rain Cab’) was installed: an old vehicle covered in ivy with a system of pipes creating a continuous downpour in the interior. If you envision visitors walking peacefully, absorbed in admiring artworks hanging plainly on white walls, you are not on the right track. The 1938 International Surrealist Exhibition took place at Galérie Beaux-Arts, from January 17 to February 24. Another group exhibition took place in Paris in 1928, titled Surréalisme, existe-t-il? (‘Does Surrealism exist?’) three years later, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, hosted the first American edition, while, in 1936, it was the turn of the New Burlington Galleries in London. Other shows followed as Surrealism’s fame and influence grew internationally. It featured pieces by both Surrealist members and other, somewhat related, artists such as Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp, considered to be kindred to surrealist artistic aspirations because of the imaginative and provocative qualities of their work. It was not until the mid-1920s that the prime theorist of Surrealism André Breton, in his seminal Surrealism and Painting, reconsidered the potential of visual arts as a means to unlock the power of the psyche and create absurd imagery, partly humorous and partly ominous, a manifestation of contradictions in everyday life.īased on his renewed convictions, Breton opened a designated gallery in Paris, the Galerie Surréaliste, and also decided to set up a series of collective exhibitions starting with the first one at Pierre Loeb’s gallery in 1925. Surrealist poets were hesitant about engaging in art production as, in their view, the mechanical act of creating art – whether it was drawing, painting, or sculpting – impeded the spontaneous expression of the unconscious. Nonetheless, when early forms of Surrealism originated in the late 1910s, it was essentially a literary movement. It entailed a philosophical approach instead, as – in artist Joyce Mansour’s words – “It is not the technique of painting that is surrealist, it’s the painter and the painter’s vision of life”. Not defined by any specific medium or style, it spanned all those disciplines capable of manifesting the uncanny side of reality, ranging from Visual Arts to Music, Theatre, and Cinema. Not only did it represent the ultimate manifestation of the surrealist movement in the seminal interwar period, but also it anticipated the innovative concept of art show as an immersive experience by almost three decades.įew other artistic movements were as cross-sectorial and inclusive as Surrealism. Many Surrealist group exhibitions had preceded it, many would follow all over the world – from Tokyo to Mexico City however, the one that took place at Galérie Beaux-Arts in Paris that year, was without a doubt the key exposition of the genre. This week, we delve into the 1938 Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme. But why not consider the history of art exhibitions themselves? Landmark shows of the modern and contemporary period have impacted and shaped the course of art history, both launching entirely new genres and shaping the history and habits of exhibition-making through innovative practices. One may consider the development and succession of different artistic movements the personalities of the major players in the field not to mention the most iconic artworks that have defined our era. There are multiple ways to delve into the fascinating world of contemporary art.
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