Surrealism, that irreverent movement that challenged reason and explored the corners of the unconscious, continues to be the object of analysis and rediscovery. Far from being a monolithic phenomenon, its influence extended beyond Parisian circles and gave rise to diverse interpretations, conditioned by geography, culture and historical circumstances. This is the starting point of the exhibition '1924. Otros surrealismos', which puts the canonical readings of the movement into dialogue with its peripheral manifestations, often forgotten or relegated.
Curated by Estrella de Diego, this exhibition opens its doors on February 6th and can be visited until May 11th at the MAPFRE Foundation in Madrid. With more than two hundred works, the exhibition proposes a review of surrealism beyond the orthodoxy dictated by André Breton. Because, while it is true that the Surrealist Manifesto, published in 1924, established the theoretical foundations of the movement, it is also undeniable that its impact was plural and fragmented. The exhibition is not limited to a mere tribute to the centenary of the aforementioned manifesto, but opens the focus to reveal the tensions, exclusions and reinterpretations that gave rise to other ways of understanding surrealism.
'Armario surrealista', Marcel Jean (1941). © Marcel Jean
The exhibition articulates its discourse through several thematic sections that examine the relationship between center and periphery. The peninsula, despite being far from the circles of artistic power of the time, saw the birth of fundamental figures such as Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel or Joan Miró. However, other creators linked to the movement, such as Nicolás de Lekuona, Maud Bonneaud, Àngel Planells or Amparo Segarra, have not received the recognition they perhaps deserve. A similar phenomenon occurred in Latin America, where, beyond the well-known Mexican surrealist scene, artists from Argentina or Brazil developed their own languages, often influenced by exiles fleeing the Spanish Civil War or Nazism.
'Una lámpara de inteligencia en tu corazón', Marion Adnams (1964). © Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW)
Another key theme of the exhibition is the role of women within surrealism. Although many were active members of the movement, they were often relegated to a secondary role. Breton himself described them as "beautiful and nameless", assigning them a role as mediums, as if they were simply channelers of the unconscious. This conditioned visibility translates into the marginalization of figures such as Remedios Varo, Maruja Mallo, Leonora Carrington, Grete Stern and Toyen, who are finally beginning to regain their rightful place in artistic historiography.
The exhibition has already been exhibited at the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, in Brussels, and the Centre Pompidou, in Paris. After its presentation in Madrid, it will travel to the Hamburger Kunsthalle, in Hamburg, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia. Through a journey that includes painting, photography, cinema and other disciplines, '1924. Other Surrealisms' invites us to rethink the movement, which continues to be a source of inspiration, from a plural perspective, opening spaces for voices that have been silenced until now.
'Cumpleaños', Dorothea Tanning (1942). © Dorothéa Tanning; VEGAP, Madrid, 2025