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Introduction 

Surrealism is an early 20th century international avant-garde movement concerned with exploring the subconscious through experimental art and literature. Led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II and drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Surrealists sought to overthrow what they perceived as the oppressive rationalism of modern society by accessing the surréalisme (superior reality) of the subconscious. In his 1924 “Surrealist Manifesto,” Breton argued for an uninhibited mode of expression derived from the mind’s involuntary mechanisms, particularly dreams, and called on artists to explore the uncharted depths of the imagination with radical new methods and visual forms. These ranged from abstract “automatic” drawings to hyper-realistic painted scenes inspired by dreams and nightmares to uncanny combinations of materials and objects.

Surrealist material constitutes two founding collections of the MoMA Library. These were acquired from Paul Éluard (1895-1952), French poet and central figure of the Surrealist group, and Camille Dausse, a Parisian doctor closely associated with group members. The collection includes almost 700 books, magazines, pamphlets, and ephemera that represents rare and essential documentation of the movement's early years. This guide lists primary source highlights in the form of artists’ publications (manifestos, statements, journals, literature) and secondary materials such as catalogs and related material. 

To discover materials on Surrealism by category (such as exhibitions, catalogues raisonnes, or centers of activity), search the Library Catalog, by subject. To focus on a specific person, search the name as a subject: Example: Meret Oppenheim.

This research guide features text from the How To Make a Modern Art Library: Selections from the Éluard-Dausse Collection exhibition website, organized by Sheelagh Bevan, and the MoMA Library Surrealism Highlight by Jennifer Tobias.

André Breton. Qu’est-ce que le surréalisme?, 1934. Cover illustration by René Magritte.