Le Surréalisme en 1947: The Export and Exchange of Ideas in Post-War International Surrealism

Abstract

Post-war Surrealism was often considered by contemporaries as no more than an appendix to the current’s glorious interwar period. However, the international dimension and impact of Surrealism was prominently acknowledged after the Second World War. The present article identifies the 1947 International Surrealist Exhibition as a site and model of mutual intellectual exchange and examines, from the point of view of the authors participating in the exhibition, the sort of importance that was attached to the participation itself, and the way in which these authors positioned themselves relative to Surrealism, before and after the event. Through these contributions and their preparation documented in letter exchanges, a post-war Surrealist network structure is outlined.