PAPER VAULT
Long Live Surrealism! 1924–Today
OPENS
September 7, 2024
CLOSES
January 12, 2025
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About the Exhibit
The first “Manifesto of Surrealism,” issued in Paris in 1924, defined Surrealism as:
“Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation.”
The international Surrealist movement emphasized dreams, chance, and the unconscious. Such sources of inspiration had the potential for both artistic and personal liberation. Not solely a style or movement, Surrealism is also a worldview or politics that believes in transforming daily life by challenging a viewer’s sense of reality.
100 years after Surrealism’s inception, explore its revolutionary contributions to art across mediums, geography, and time.
Drawn from the Blanton’s collection with select loans, the exhibition includes famed Surrealists such as Hans Bellmer, Leonora Carrington, Max Ernst, Wifredo Lam, and Man Ray, alongside artists inspired by its innovations, including Yayoi Kusama and Dorothy Hood, and contemporary artists working within its vocabulary. Long Live Surrealism! expands our understanding of one of the twentieth century’s most enduring ideas—and its continued relevance today.
Curated by Claire Howard, Associate Curator, Collections and Exhibitions, Blanton Museum of Art.
Members get free admission.
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Press
CBS Austin, Surrealism’s timeless impact on modern artists showcased at the Blanton
Observer, At One Hundred, Surrealism Is Alive and Well in Austin and Beyond
“A far-ranging exhibition covering one of the most beloved—and approachable—art movements of modern times.” – Naja Sayej, Observer
Credit
Long Live Surrealism! 1924–Today is organized by the Blanton Museum of Art.
Feature Image Credit
Emily Mae Smith, Temptation Island, 2019, oil on linen, 38 × 30 in. Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of Alana and Adiel Hoch, 2020.14 (artwork: © Emily Mae Smith)