Art Paris celebrates Surrealism anniversary with blockbuster show

Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Joan Miró and of course the writer André Breton, the leader of the surrealist movement: the Centre Pompidou in Paris has brought them all together with their works in a huge anniversary exhibition.

France is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the international art movement with around 500 exhibits. Surrealism aimed to rebel against traditions and norms. It has found expression in painting, sculpture, literature and film and is one of the most important art movements of the 20th century.

The official foundation stone was laid by the French writer André Breton with his "Manifesto du Surréalisme" published in October 1924, which can now be seen in its original form as part of the exhibition. The movement, in which creation comes directly from the artist's unconscious, was not dissolved until 1969.

Show takes on a different accent in each country

Paris wants to present all of this in 14 themes in this show. In addition to "Dream", "Cosmos" and "Medium", the motif of the "Forest" is also included, as curator Didier Ottinger illustrates with the painting "The Great Forest" by Max Ernst, among others. A theme that will take center stage in Hamburg in 2025, as the expert in modern and contemporary painting reveals. "German Romanticism is linked to Surrealism. Nature played a central role as a motif for both."

The special feature: The anniversary show is given a different accent in each country. In Brussels, it was linked to Symbolism, an art movement from the end of the 19th century that clearly influenced Surrealism. Around 120 works were shown there, including representatives of Belgian Symbolism such as René Magritte and Paul Delvaux.

The exhibition ends in Paris on January 13. It will then move on to Madrid (February 4 to May 11, 2025) before being shown in Hamburg from June 12 to October 12 and then in Philadelphia (November 8, 2025 to February 15, 2026).

SDA