Story perspectives

Surrealist Icons Tour Europe: Magritte, Dalí, Carrington Featured

6/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Surrealism emerged in Europe after World War I, shifting art toward the subconscious.
André Breton’s manifestos shifted the movement from reality to dream imagery, citing Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis.
René Magritte’s “The Menaced Assassin” (1927) was shown in London on Feb. 21, 2019.
Salvador Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory” was shown on Mar. 24, 2004 and his “Elephants” on Jan. 30, 2014.
Leonora Carrington’s “The Giantess” and Dorothea Tanning’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” illustrate tension-filled aspects of Surrealism.

History

Historical Context

In February 1916 Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings opened Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, issuing a Dada magazine of 500 copies that sparked an anti-art movement. Tristan Tzara’s sound poems and the cabaret’s chaotic performances embodied a rebellion that resurfaced in 2019 exhibitions of surrealists such as Magritte, Dalí, Carrington and Tanning, and the venue later became a museum and cultural space.

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Story summary

Surrealism emerged in Europe after World War I, shifting art toward the subconscious.
André Breton’s manifestos shifted the movement from reality to dream imagery, citing Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis.
René Magritte’s “The Menaced Assassin” (1927) was shown in London on Feb. 21, 2019.
Salvador Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory” was shown on Mar. 24, 2004 and his “Elephants” on Jan. 30, 2014.
Leonora Carrington’s “The Giantess” and Dorothea Tanning’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” illustrate tension-filled aspects of Surrealism.

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