André Breton Art

André Breton said a lot about Surrealism. In fact, he authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto that sought to define and explain the movement. In it, he said that Surrealism was “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism." Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques, such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences. On 1stDibs, shop a wide range of Surrealist art.

The principles of Surrealism of André Breton held that the art movement was “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” In his 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, he established that Surrealism sought to explore the unconscious workings of the human mind, a concept first explored by psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. Breton also wrote that Surrealism was "the invisible ray which will one day enable us to win out over our opponents," suggesting that he believed the ultimate aim of the movement was to impart social change during the turbulent time between the two world wars. Find an assortment of Surrealist art on 1stDibs.

The three artists that were most famous for Surrealism are arguably Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and Man Ray. Dalí is one of the best-known icons of the 20th-century avant-garde Surrealist movement. His dreamlike images, drawn from the depths of the unconscious, were deployed in paintings, sculptures, prints and fashion, as well as in film collaborations with Luis Buñuel and Alfred Hitchcock. Max Ernst was a pioneer in both the Dada and Surrealist movements, the boundaries of which he pushed with his unconventional methods of printmaking, drawing and collage. Ray was a famous American filmmaker, painter and photographer who achieved commercial success and worldwide acclaim with his uncanny images. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Surrealist art.

No, André Breton did not create Surrealism. However, he did help to define it. In 1924, the poet and critic authored the Surrealist Manifesto, in which he described the Surrealist approach as “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” The movement itself grew out of the work of numerous artists, including Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Surrealist art.