MUSEmemoirs

Info:

• Dates: 4.09.24 – 13.01.25
• Curator: Didier Ottinger et Marie Sarré
• Where: Centre Pompidou
• Price: 17 euro/ 14 euro reduced

The Centre Pompidou presents a monumental exhibition marking the centenary of Surrealism, a movement that has profoundly shaped artistic currents of the 20th century and beyond. This immersive retrospective traces the movement’s evolution over forty years, through a labyrinthine layout that invites the visitor to lose themselves in the wonders of surrealist thought. Divided in thirteen thematic sections, the exhibition encompasses an extraordinary array of media—paintings, sculptures, photographs, films, texts, and documents—capturing the radical creativity of this mouvement.

The journey begins with an immersive experience: a dark room where walls project a video of texts and images, accompanied by a reading of the Surrealist Manifesto, published by André Breton in October 1924. The original text, on loan from the National Library of France, is also on display, providing a historic anchor to the movement’s roots.

The exhibition explores all the major themes central to Surrealist artists, poets, and writers. From the importance of the subconscious and dreams to alchemy, magic, eros, and sexuality, each room immerses the visitor in one of the deep obsessions of these figures. Some rooms are dedicated to recurring subjects in the movement, for example the forest, symbolizing inner journeys, and the character of Alice from Alice in Wonderland (published in 1865), who embodies the choice of wonder over reality.

As visitors navigate the exhibition, they encounter a rich variety of notable names across diverse media. Colors, shapes, and texts captivate the eye and invite closer examination. Photography also plays a prominent role, particularly through the exquisite works of Dora Maar.

Iconic figures like Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, André Breton, and Max Ernst, populate the walls of Pompidou, but also a significant emphasis is put on women artists and the contributions of Latin American surrealists. Leonor Fini, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington emerge as key voices, highlighting the global influence of the movement.

Tough not displayed in chronological order, this exhibition conveys the vast historical impact of Surrealism. It is both a tribute to a movement that has been the subject of much discourse and an opportunity to experience it in unprecedented depth, as in a manual of art history. As the Centre Pompidou prepares for its temporary closure in 2025, this exhibition serves as a landmark event, inviting visitors to immerse in the boundless imagination of the Surrealism’s personalities. This retrospective requires time and contemplation, given its scale and the variety of its content, but it is undoubtedly not to be missed.

My personal highlights:

• Remedios Varo, Papilla estelar (1958)
• Salvador Dalì, Rêve causé par le vol d’une abeille autour d’une pomme-grenade, une seconde avant l’éveil (1944)
• Max Ernst, The Angel of Heart and Home (1937)
• Max Ernst, La Femme 100 têtes (1929)
• Grete Stern, Sueño nº 17: ¿quién será? (1949)