SURREAL LEGACIES

Of the early 20th Century avant-gardes, few movements have had such an enduring impact on our understanding of the modern self, as well as on the visual language of modern life, as Surrealism. In the anniversary year of the founding of the Surrealist movement, and the publication in October 1924 of its first manifestos by Yvan Goll and André Breton, this exhibition will focus on the legacies of Surrealism. The influence of this movement will be explored in and through the work of major reference figures and contemporary artists in the Hauser & Wirth programme, including artists such as Ida Applebroog, Phyllida Barlow, Louise Bourgeois, Hélène Delprat, Camille Henrot, Luchita Hurtado, Cathy Josefowitz, Allison Katz, Erna Rosenstein and Anj Smith.

The exhibition will focus, moreover, on the work of women artists, a strength of the gallery’s programme and within Surrealism as it developed (though the movement began as a largely male group of artists). In recent years, the importance of women within, on the periphery of, and following the Surrealist movement has been increasingly recognised. This has been identified as a transgenerational tendency, which itself proves the longer history of Surrealism and its ongoing relevance to successive generations. It connects Surrealism with feminism and later developments in contemporary art, showing this movement to have a continuing history to the present day. Additionally, it demonstrates the ongoing richness of Surrealist strategies and styles for the current moment.