Surrealists - Their Turbulent Fates

How did surrealist art develop in its early years in Montparnasse? Who was part of it and who wasn't? What was the world of Montparnasse like in the years when surrealism was forming as an artistic movement? Surrealism changed our perception, but its ideas emerged gradually, in a completely different world from the one we know today. What were the relationships like during this extraordinary period between the various artists who are now considered surrealists? What influence did Duchamp's conceptual art and de Chirico's metaphysical work have on these emerging ideas? Why was Picasso wary of Breton? Why was Diaghilev, despite the pioneering impact of his work, always on the social fringes of the art scene? Why did Breton hate Cocteau? What role did women (including Man Ray's model, singer, and muse, Kiki de Montparnasse), time, and place play in the development of ideas that have had such a lasting impact on our view of artwork? Among contemporary artists, there are many whose work is clearly influenced by surrealism. How did it all begin?

Translated by Alžběta Komrsková.