In 1924, amid the wreckage of the Great War, Surrealism was born when the French poet André Breton published a treatise decrying the vogue for realism and rationality. He championed the “omnipotence of dreams” and the exploration of the unconscious, believing that art could liberate humanity. “The mere word ‘freedom’ is the only one that still excites me,” Breton declared in his Surrealist Manifesto. What began as a literary concept evolved into a revolutionary art movement.

Though centered in Paris, Surrealism’s key figures were internationally diverse: Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró (Spanish), Giorgio de Chirico (Italian), René Magritte (Belgian), Leonora Carrington (British), Wifredo Lam (Cuban), Frida Kahlo (Mexican), and Roberto Matta (Chilean).

In celebration of the centenary of Surrealism, art institutions worldwide are showcasing its enduring legacy with exhibitions that explore the movement and highlight its far-reaching influence.

In May 1953, the Alexander Iolas Gallery in New York mounted an exhibition of recent work by the Chilean Surrealist Roberto Matta. Titled Rome, 1949-1953, the show presented seventeen abstract paintings created after the artist’s relocation from the United States to Italy. This display, drawn entirely from the Menil’s permanent holdings, reunites a group of paintings from the 1953 exhibition.