Surrealism, movement in European visual art and literature between the World Wars that was a reaction against cultural and political rationalism. Surrealism grew out of the Dada movement, but its emphasis was on positive expression.

Surrealist imagery is probably the most recognizable element of the movement, yet it is also the most elusive to categorize and define. Each artist relied on their own recurring motifs arisen through their dreams or/and unconscious mind.

Surrealists—inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theories of dreams and the unconscious—believed insanity was the breaking of the chains of logic, and they represented this idea in their art by...

Learn about the origins, techniques, and themes of Surrealism, a literary and artistic movement that explored the subconscious and the irrational. Discover the works of Breton, Dalí, Magritte, Ernst, and other Surrealist artists in the Met collection.

The word Surrealism refers to an art movement that entered the unsuspecting art world in the mid-1920s. It was officially founded by André Breton, a Parisian poet. Surrealism became a formal art movement, with a strong political, philosophical and social undercurrent that defined the methods used to elicit shock and curiosity among its ...

As the Surrealism movement evolved, artists developed new systems and techniques for exploring the irrational world of the subconscious mind. Two trends emerged: Biomorphic (or, abstract) and Figurative.

Founded by the poet André Breton in Paris in 1924, Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement. It proposed that the Enlightenment—the influential 17th- and 18th-century intellectual movement that championed reason and individualism—had suppressed the superior qualities of the irrational, unconscious mind.

The meaning of SURREALISM is the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.

Surrealism is a movement that explores the irrational and the unconscious mind, challenging norms and values. Learn about its origins, methods, themes and artists, such as Eileen Agar and André Breton.