Surrealism

In October 1924, André Breton published the first official manifesto of Surrealism, defining Surrealism as ‘psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express […] the actual functioning of thought’. To mark the centenary of the avant-garde movement, the Centre Pompidou in Paris is presenting a major exhibition of its key exponents, including Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Joan Miró and Leonora Carrington (4 September–13 January 2025). Including paintings, drawings, film, photography and literary material, the exhibition is divided into 14 thematic sections, such as ‘Trajectory of the Dream’ and ‘Hymns to the Night’. At the heart of its maze-like layout is ‘Manifesto’, which houses Breton’s original manuscript and where you can hear a simulation of his voice guiding viewers through the text.

Find out more from the Centre Pompidou’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Green Tea (1942), Leonora Carrington. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence; © Adagp, Paris, 2024

The Empire of Light (1954), René Magritte. Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels. Photo: J. Geleyns; © MRBAB, Brussels

Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Waking (1944), Salvador Dalí. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali/Adagp, Paris 2024