André Masson

Andr´e Masson, ´Elan d´evore par les chiens, 1945, _Ol auf Leinwand, 52 x 60 cm

On the occasion of the centenary of the Surrealist Manifesto published in 1924, numerous museums all over Europe have been honouring the spirit of the most revolutionary art movement of the 20th century with impressive exhibitions. Extensive overviews and more specific aspects of Surrealism can currently be explored at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Lenbachhaus in Munich and the Kunsthalle Vogelmann in Heilbronn. With ANDRÉ MASSON. La mémoire du monde | Das Gedächtnis der Welt, DIE GALERIE in Frankfurt presents a deeper insight into the work of a unique and ‘unconventional’ surrealist by dedicating his sixth solo exhibition to this artist.

Andr´e Masson, Le peintre, 1937, _Ol auf Leinwand, 100 x 81 cm

The work of André Masson (1896-1987) is characterised by a remarkable diversity of techniques and subjects. As a major representative of surrealism and the creator of the so-called déssin automatique, his art synthesises the knowledge of centuries. In his paintings, drawings and sculptures, he captured inspirations from Goethe, Kleist and German intellectual history, including romanticism, impressionism and Asian calligraphy, and integrated them into a new and highly personal art and philosophy. ‘The artist must constantly reshape the universe or, if you will, create his own,’ that was his credo. This conviction is reflected in an intense imagery, pervaded by a constant transformation, an eternal cycle of creation and decay.

Andr´e Masson, Les Masques, _Ol auf Leinwand, 60 x 73 cm

In Masson’s early work, his expressivity and personal impressions of southern French landscapes converge in a highly distinctive kind of Cubism. The following surrealist creative phase is dominated by tragic figures from Greek mythology, reflecting existential questions and traumatic experiences from the conflicts in Europe. In his American period, Masson resumes the threads of his early fascination with Chinese calligraphy, resulting in works that are almost abstract, gestural, informal. Here, his ‘mythology of nature’ finds an extension into the cosmic. It is only in his late work that the arc of his endless pictorial inventions comes full circle, leading him back to his representational, narrative visual language. What makes André Masson and his work so unique in the context of Surrealism is their deep roots in artistic developments, both in the era before and after Surrealism. His uncompromising nature within the renowned circle and his significant role in the development of 20th-century art as a whole add a further layer of meaning to his work.

Gallery DIE
Grüneburgweg 12, 60323 Frankfurt am Main
+49 69 97 14 71 0

WEBSITE  INSTAGRAM