Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, André Breton... These names of artists, French or foreign, are known to all of you. Their common point? They were all monuments of surrealism, a major movement from the 1920s to the 1970s. However, this movement did not only include male artists. From the iconic photographer Lee Miller to Claude Cahun, Grace Pailthorpe, or Franciska Clausen, many women participated in the surrealist movement through drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, poetry, writing, and even cinema.
From March 31st to September 10th, 2023, the Musée de Montmartre highlights nearly 150 works in "Surrealism au féminin?" an exhibition that is feminist and engaged. We discover the lesser-known side of this period of modern art in which women, driven by their thirst for freedom, charted their path among the founders of the already established movement in Paris.
and elsewhere.
Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) A Very Happy Painting, 1947, Oil on canvas, Centre Pompidou, Paris, National Museum of Modern Art - Industrial Creation Center, AM
Montmartre, Land of Surrealists
What place could be more iconic than Montmartre, the neighborhood that the surrealists explored, inhabited, and even dreamed of, to speak about their work? For both men and women who joined the movement in the 1930s, the Butte neighborhood is a must-visit. However, in order to assert their independence from their male counterparts, these women had to distance themselves, both literally and figuratively, from a Parisian core dominated by men, .
Authority of Breton.
Elsa Thoresen (1906-1994) Terre brûlée (Scorched Earth), 1946 Oil on panel SMK – National Gallery of Denmark Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, © ADAGP Paris 2023, © SMK Photo Jakob Skou-Hansen
Both provocative and sulphurous, these female artists invest in surrealism for its freedom and rebellions, for its space for expression and creativity that probably had no equivalent in other avant-garde movements. They express their fantasies and develop their creativity, in a unique way that sometimes exceeds that of men.
Discover over 50 female artists
For over 5 months, the Museum of Montmartre invites female artists of the 20th century to unveil their art to the public. For example, we come across Dora Maar, a French photographer and painter, and her legendary photomontages. Her status as the lover and muse of painter Pablo Picasso has long overshadowed her significant contribution to the movement.
Jacqueline Lamba (1910-1993) The Blonde Woman, 1930, Oil on wood © Guy Ladrière Collection - Former Charles Ratton Collection
It also features the work of Lee Miller, a photographer, model, and war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Her spirited and humorous images have made her a major surrealist artist. We then meet Judit Reigl, Claude Cahun, Dorothea Tanning, Jane Graverol, Rachel Baes, Maria Martins, Rita Kernn-Larsen, and Marion Adnams... In total, more than fifty of these women and nearly 150 works are exhibited at the Musée de Montmartre. Surrealism from a feminine perspective?
Marion Adnams (1898 - 1995), Emperor Moths-Thunder, 1963, Oil on canvas, RAW (Redisc
Musée de Montmartre - Jardins Renoir
12, rue Cortot - 18th
Tél. : 01 49 25 89 39
From March 31 to September 10, 2023
Entrance fee: €8 to €15
More information on the website