The Surrealists

Imagine David Lynch painting over Salvador Dalí’s sketchbook. That’s the eerie charm of Kay Sage’s work. Her figures are like ghosts on canvases, haunting us like the Red Room’s doubles … Read the rest

In 1936 Britain, a hat made of lobster claws and mussel shells caused a stir. Eileen Agar’s “bouillabaisse headpiece” at the International Surrealist Exhibition was seen as shocking. The society, … Read the rest

In 1927, a photo changed everything. A figure with a half-shaven head and red lips looked straight at us. It was more than a self-portrait—it was a bold statement. Claude … Read the rest

Imagine an artist who said her work was “never-before-seen images chasing their own tails”. That’s Dorothea Tanning, a painter from Illinois. She lived longer than her peers and created … Read the rest

Imagine Salvador Dalí’s melting clocks meeting Marie Curie’s lab notes. That’s what the Art Institute Chicago’s “Science Fictions” exhibit is all about. It features 60+ works by Remedios Varo, blending … Read the rest

Imagine a 20-year-old English debutante painting herself with a hyena in 1937’s Self-Portrait (Inn of the Dawn Horse). The horse runs free outside, the hyena looks back at her, … Read the rest

Imagine a mix of a Dadaist prankster and a Darwinian botanist. That’s Jean Arp’s floating wood reliefs. They look like they came from a world where art and biology meet. … Read the rest

Imagine a moonlit station where nude women board phantom trains. Skeletons check pocket watches. Welcome to the dreamscapes of Belgium’s most rebellious surrealist. He painted like Freud’s subconscious playing chess … Read the rest

Imagine a Parisian sailor who traded compasses for paintbrushes. This man turned Freudian daydreams into alien terrains. His work is so detailed, it would make a cartographer cry. Yves Tanguy’s … Read the rest

Imagine a Spanish surrealist movement with its own jazz musician. That’s Joan Miró, the painter who saw canvases as improvisational scores. Unlike Dalí, who melted clocks, Miró mixed Catalonia’s rustic … Read the rest