In Montparnasse
The Emergence of Surrealism in Paris, from Duchamp to Dali
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
'She vividly charts the birth of surrealism . . . a tale rich in absurdity and outlandish characters, from Cocteau and Max Ernst to Dali and Picasso' Sunday Times
In this entertaining and informative biography, Sue Roe illustrates how surrealism emerged in Paris amidst an artistic ambience of lively experimentation. Before surrealism made its startling impact, artists including Marcel Duchamp and Giorgio De Chirico had already begun to shift the focus of the art scene in Montparnasse. Beginning with Duchamp, Roe tells the story of the wonderfully eccentric and avant-garde Dada movement, the birth of Surrealist photography with Man Ray and his muse Kiki de Montparnasse, the love triangle between writer Paul Éluard, his wife Gala and the artist Max Ernst, until the arrival of Salvador Dalí in 1929. In Montparnasse recounts the extraordinary, revolutionary work these artists undertook as much as the salons, café life, friendships, rows and love affairs that were their background.
'Highly colourful . . . they're all here, the big names of the time - behaving badly, and, at times, quite madly too' Observer
'Brings together some of the chief protagonists in one of the 20th century's most inventive art movements. A vivid read' Radio Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Roe (In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art) traces the birth and evolution of Surrealism in this colorful but overly detailed account, revealing how a group of disgruntled Paris artisans created a new movement and turned the art world on its head. Infuriated by the massive destruction of WWI, artists including Marcel Duchamp, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, and Man Ray exploded the boundaries of society and art when they moved to the low-rent, gritty district of Montparnasse, "lifting things out of their habitual contexts... to endow them with new, startling implications." Throughout, Roe describes pivotal artistic moments: Gertrude Stein attending the revolutionary premiere of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Duchamp adapting a urinal into ready-made art, Cocteau transforming a bar into an avant-garde hangout, Man Ray developing images with three-dimensional qualities called rayographs, Ren Magritte turning a painting of a pipe into a work of art, and, finally, the showing of Salvador Dali's Lobster Telephone in 1936. Roe is an elegant writer, but the narrative can become confusing as she jumps back and forth between artists within chapters. Nevertheless, this entertaining, fast-paced history will thrill Francophones and art historians alike.
