Celebrating Surrealism in Grand Style

Despite the fact that André Breton and his group of Parisian artists are largely responsible for France's reputation as the birthplace of surrealism, Belgium is a country where this artistic movement has had a truly fundamental cultural impact. According the opinion of some critics and the artists themselves, it has even become a metaphor for the national mentality. It is therefore not surprising that in the year that marks exactly one hundred years since the writing and publication of Breton's Surrealist Manifesto, Belgian cultural institutions have prepared several events commemorating this Surrealist anniversary. Two major and thematically complementary exhibitions were opened to the public in Brussels in February this year.

At the Bozar Gallery, until June, the public could see a very well designed, comprehensive and information-packed exhibition "Histoire de ne pas rire. Surrealism in Belgium", tracking the changes of the movement in the Belgian context. The imaginary red thread around which the presentation unfolded, consisted of works by notable figures such as René Magritte or Paul Nougé, as well as pieces by lesser-known artists for the general public.

And if Bozar has focused on the domestic Belgian line, in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique) until 21 July we can find the exhibition "Imagine! 100 Years of International Surrealism", which was created in collaboration with other European exhibition institutions, especially the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and features over 140 works of art by true surrealist icons such as Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and, of course, René Magritte. The curators of the exhibition also made a conscious effort to ensure a sufficient representation of female artists who, although often not part of the various Surrealist groups in their respective countries, embraced the principles of Surrealism and applied them in their solo work. Notable artists included Jane Graverol, Dorothea Tanning, Leonor Fini, and Toyen (the pseudonym of Czech artist Marie Čermínová).

After an introductory presentation of important milestones marking the changes of the Surrealist movement in the form of a timeline, the exhibition was divided into several thematic sections reflecting dominant themes in Surrealist paintings. Visitors encountered works exploring themes such as Labyrinth, Night, Forest, Mental Landscapes, Metamorphoses and Myths, Chimeras, Dreams and Nightmares, The Tears of Eros, and The Cosmos. Despite the aforementioned stellar line-up, the exhibition therefore thematises these topics more than individual personalities, even in terms of the accompanying textual information, and is less concerned with biographical details of the artists' lives. This strategy made sure that the general public, who were the exhibition's primary target audience, wouldn't be overloaded with unnecessary information. However, some artists who are well-known and well-respected in their native country but who may not be as well-known abroad to a general public may profit from some background information about their work that is included in the exhibition. A specific feature of the Belgian realisation of the exhibition is the exploration of the connections between Surrealism and another fundamental artistic movement in Belgium, Symbolism. The authors of the exhibition thus offer another perspective on the continuity of the context in which Surrealism was formed and operated.

However, the Belgian presentation at the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts is not the end of the exhibition as a whole. Following its July closure, it will travel to the previously mentioned Centre Pompidou in Paris, where it will be on view starting in September. From there, it will continue on to Hamburg, Madrid, and Philadelphia. It will get slightly modified in each city, emphasising various facets of Surrealism, much as its Belgian counterpart concentrated on the relationship with Symbolism.

To visit the exhibition : here

Image: The Angel of the home or the Triumph of Surrealism (1937), Max Ernst, oil on canvas © Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique