{"id":509553,"date":"2026-01-11T23:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T23:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509553\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T23:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T23:30:21","slug":"dreamworld-offers-a-triumphant-glimpse-into-surrealism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509553\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dreamworld\u2019 Offers a Triumphant Glimpse Into Surrealism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Giorgio<\/p>\n

Giorgio de Chirico, \u201cThe Soothsayer\u2019s Recompense,\u201d 1913. (Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art)<\/p>\n

A little over a century ago, in 1924, Andr\u00e9 Breton published his Manifesto of Surrealism. Across some 20 pages, the French writer lamented that, as people grow older, they inevitably abandon their imaginations in favor of pragmatism. He did, however, present a solution to this conundrum: leaning into, rather than eschewing, a childlike sense of creativity. It turns out he was right, and thus the surrealist movement was born. Now, 100 years after its birth, a landmark exhibition dedicated solely to surrealism<\/a> has finally arrived in the United States, following successful runs at the Centre Pompidou, the Mus\u00e9es Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, the Fundaci\u00f3n MAPFRE, and the Hamburger Kunsthalle.<\/p>\n

Currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/a> (PMA), the exhibition\u2019s sole U.S. venue, Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100<\/a> gathers about 200 works by more than 70 surrealist artists<\/a>. Pieces range from fuzzy umbrellas suspended in midair to paintings of unsettling, chimeric creatures, providing a kaleidoscopic glimpse into one of the world\u2019s most influential artistic movements. As is to be expected, the exhibition highlights surrealism\u2019s leading talents, including Salvador Dal\u00ed<\/a>, Marcel Duchamp<\/a>, Max Ernst, Ren\u00e9 Magritte<\/a>, Joan Mir\u00f3<\/a>, and Man Ray<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

Despite its ambitious scope, Dreamworld does acknowledge surrealism\u2019s limitations. A vast majority of the exhibition\u2019s works were produced by men, but there are still a few gems that challenge the assumption that women were entirely absent within 20th century modernism<\/a>. Danish artist Rita Kernn-Larsen makes an appearance, for instance, with The Women\u2019s Uprising, a moody painting from 1940 depicting a group of tangled trees, all bearing feminine features like breasts. L\u00e9onor Fini\u2019s 1941 L\u2019Alcove (Self-portrait with Nico Papatakis) offers a sensual, dreamlike scene in which the artist gazes longingly at a nude Papatakis\u2014rather than the other way around. Jacqueline Lamba, Breton\u2019s wife, contributes Behind the Sun, a layered, earthy canvas reminiscent of Picasso\u2019s Cubist collages.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most compelling of all, though, are works by artists like Claude Cahun and Toyen (born Marie \u010cerm\u00ednov\u00e1), both of whom resisted the gender binary entirely. Though a multidisciplinary artist, Cahun might have been most intriguing as a self-portraitist, assuming performative, surreal personae that resisted the period\u2019s strict notions of femininity. Similarly, Toyen consistently refused feminine language markers and roles, all while producing erotic yet abstract paintings inspired by gender, sexuality, and desire. When juxtaposed with the male artists of the time period, such creatives as Cahun and Toyen complicate traditional understandings of surrealism as an exclusively male endeavor.<\/p>\n

But Dreamworld is far from simply an overview. To help guide viewers through surrealist sprawl, the exhibition is organized into several thematic sections. In \u201cPremonition of War,\u201d for example, artists like Dal\u00ed, Ernst, and Pablo Picasso reimagine the devastations of war and totalitarianism as monstrous, terrifying creatures. \u201cExiles,\u201d on the other hand, considers how surrealists working in France escaped to North America during the outbreak of World War II, settling in Caribbean ports, Mexico, and the United States. Exclusive to PMA, this section notably features Frida Kahlo<\/a>\u2019s 1936 My Grandparents, My Parents, and I, alongside paintings by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis idea of finding a technique which evades your conscious control is really the central part here,\u201d PMA curator Matthew Affron told<\/a> WHYY in a recent interview. \u201cWhat surrealism wanted, fundamentally, was a revolution in consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what a revolution this exhibition is. Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 is currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through February 16, 2026.\n<\/p>\n

After successful runs in Europe,\u00a0Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 has arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the exhibition\u2019s only U.S. venue, in celebration of the movement\u2019s centenary.
\n\"Salvador<\/p>\n

Salvador Dal\u00ed, \u201cSoft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War),\u201d 1936. (Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art)<\/p>\n

\"Andr\u00e9<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Masson, \u201cThe Landscape of Wonders,\u201d 1935. (Courtesy of the Guggenheim Museum)<\/p>\n

\"Installation<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cDreamworld: Surrealism at 100,\u201d now open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo: Aimee Almstead)<\/p>\n

\"Victor<\/p>\n

Victor Brauner, \u201cThe Lovers (Messengers of the Number),\u201d 1947. (Courtesy of the Centre Pompidou, Paris)<\/p>\n

The exhibition gathers some 200 artworks by more than 70 surrealist artists, offering a generous glimpse into one of the world\u2019s most influential artistic movements.
\n\"Installation<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cDreamworld: Surrealism at 100,\u201d now open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo: Aimee Almstead)<\/p>\n

\"Ren\u00e9<\/p>\n

Ren\u00e9 Magritte, \u201cThe Six Elements,\u201d 1929. (Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art)<\/p>\n

\"Leonora<\/p>\n

Leonora Carrington, \u201cThe Pleasures of Dagobert,\u201d 1945. (Courtesy of the Collection of Eduardo F. Costantini)<\/p>\n

\"Installation<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cDreamworld: Surrealism at 100,\u201d now open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo: Aimee Almstead)<\/p>\n

Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 is on view at PMA through February 16, 2026.
\n\"Salvador<\/p>\n

Salvador Dal\u00ed, \u201dAphrodisiac Telephone,\u201d 1938. (Courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art)<\/p>\n

\"Remedios<\/p>\n

Remedios Varo, \u201cIcon,\u201d 1945. (Courtesy of the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires)<\/p>\n

\"Installation<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cDreamworld: Surrealism at 100,\u201d now open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo: Aimee Almstead)<\/p>\n

\"Installation<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cDreamworld: Surrealism at 100,\u201d now open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo: Aimee Almstead)<\/p>\n

Exhibition Information:
Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100
November 8, 2025\u2013February 16, 2026
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
\nPhiladelphia Museum of Art: <\/b>Website<\/b><\/a> | <\/b>Instagram<\/b><\/a>
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
\nRelated Articles:
\nParis Celebrates 100 Years of Surrealism With Landmark Exhibit at Centre Pompidou<\/a>
\nPhotographer Blurs His Subjects to the Point of Psychedelic Abstraction<\/a>
\nArtist Reimagines 20th-Century Art with Dreamlike Paintings Evoking Past and Present<\/a>
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