Curator-led tour of the exhibition “In the Very Bowels of Changes: Surrealism and Anti-Fascism.” Led by Dorota Jarecka

 

To participate in the tour, you must purchase a ticket and pick up a receiver on the ground floor at the meeting point before the tour begins.

Surrealism had an international reach and espoused internationalist views. Rooted in art and literature, it had broad ambitions: to revolutionize society and redefine life itself. “‘Transform the world,’ said Marx; ‘change life,’ said Rimbaud: for us, these two goals are one,” declared André Breton in 1935.

From the moment they emerged in the 1920s, the Surrealists opposed political programs that ran counter to the ideals of equality and freedom. They condemned European colonialism, organized against the fascists, aligned themselves with communists and anarchists, fought in the Spanish Civil War, and joined the resistance during World War II—only to be labeled “degenerate” by the Nazis and face persecution. 

 

As fascism gained strength in Europe, as Nazism seized power in Germany and led to a world war, and as colonial wars raged—the Surrealists remained true to their ideological and political choices. At the same time, these upheavals gave rise to extraordinary encounters and truly global solidarity. During the tour, we will discuss the movement’s principles, the important works in the exhibition, and the remarkable life stories of the participating artists.