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André Robert Breton (French: [ɑ̃dʁe ʁɔbɛʁ bʁətɔ̃]; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. [1] His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto ( Manifeste du surréalisme ) of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as " pure ...
5 days ago · Surrealism. automatism. André Breton (born February 18, 1896, Tinchebray, France—died September 28, 1966, Paris) was a French poet, essayist, critic, and editor, chief promoter and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement.
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André Breton was an original member of the Dada group who went on to start and lead the Surrealist movement in 1924. In New York, Breton and his colleagues curated Surrealist exhibitions that introduced ideas of automatism and intuitive art making to the first Abstract Expressionists. He worked in various creative media, focusing on collageand prin...
Breton was a major member of the Dada group and the founder of Surrealism. He was dedicated to avant-gardeart-making and was known for his ability to unite disparate artists through printed matter...Breton drafted the Surrealist Manifestoin 1924, declaring Surrealism as "pure psychic automatism," deeply affecting the methodology and origins of future movements, such as Abstract Expressionism.One of Breton's fundamental beliefs was in art as an anti-war protest, which he postulated during the First World War. This notion re-gained potency during and after World War II, when the early Ab...Childhood
André Breton was born in a small village, although his family relocated to a Parisian suburb soon after. He excelled in school and developed literary interests quite early. Breton read the French Decadents, such as Charles Baudelaire, J.K. Huysmans, Stephane Mallarme, and the German Romantic writers, all of whom informed his early thoughts on avant-gardism. By 1912, Breton had a cultivated knowledge of Contemporary art and begun to study Anarchism as a political movement. While he loved the F...
Early Training
While Breton forged his early aestheticism, he studied medicine, completed basic military training and, in 1915, was assigned to work in a military hospital in Nantes. His first poems, Decembre and Age, were written while he worked there as a nurse. It was during this time that he met his mentors, Guillaume Apollinaire and Jacques Vache, who were both admitted to the hospital for war wounds. Breton's hatred of war led him to an intense investigation of Sigmund Freud's psychotherapeutic practi...
Mature Period
When Breton arrived in Paris, he was in his mid-twenties and already an established author and editor of an avant-garde magazine, Litterature. While Tzara penned his Manifestation Dada, Breton promoted journalism and live "happenings" as the ultimate statements against the bourgeoisie. Dada performances were not recorded, so the bulk of the campaign only exists today in print, as flyers, posters, manifestos, handbills, and magazines. During this time, Breton organized many readings and events...
- French
- February 19, 1896
- Normandy, France
- September 28, 1966
Sep 28, 2011 · Learn about André Breton, the French writer and leader of surrealism, who co-founded the movement and wrote the first manifesto. Explore his works, exhibitions, and publications at MoMA.
Learn about André Breton, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. Explore his writings, such as the first Surrealist Manifesto, and his role in twentieth-century French art and literature.
Learn about André Breton, the French writer and artist who co-founded Surrealism and pioneered automatism. Explore his artworks on paper, prints, and sculpture for sale and auction on Artnet.
Donald Kuspit explores the complex and controversial role of André Breton as the leader and visionary of Surrealism, a movement that challenged the ordinary world with art and revolt. He examines Breton's hypnotic personality, his ideological dogmatism, and his conflicts with his disciples who rebelled against him.
