New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting by Robert Zeller offers a sweeping exposition of both historical Surrealism and its legacy in the world of contemporary art. It demonstrates the many ways in which the most significant art movement of the last century continues to be relevant today, featuring an international selection of contemporary artists whose compositions and studio practice reveal its influence.

There are many modalities of historical Surrealism that still maintain contemporary currency: presenting the familiar as unfamiliar and uncanny, the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated imagery, the use of absurdity to critique political or social issues, and the use of erotic imagery in an irrational, non-linear context. Not all the artists brought together in this book self-identify as Surrealist, per se, but each uses some variation of Surrealism in a personal manner.

The book begins with a study of the origins, leadership, participating artists, and major milestones of historical Surrealism. Zeller chronicles the movement starting at the end of World War I and the birth of Dada. The most important players and events emerge throughout the timeline of events — including World War II, and such notable artists as Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Leonora Carrington, and many others — up until the death of its leader Andre Breton in 1966.

Zeller then explores how elements of New Surrealism are being put into practice in the contemporary art world. Section Two offers a survey of 29 contemporary artists who engage in New Surrealism's seemingly unlimited variations of the movement's original themes, including Rosa Loy, Glenn Brown, and Arghavan Khosravi. Section Three features 14 artists, including important contemporary artists such as Inka Essenhigh, Ginny Casey and Anna Weyant, who speak to Surrealism's influence on their studio practice, detailing in their own words how they create a composition from start to finish.

About the Author:

Robert Zeller is a visual artist and writer who received a BFA from a joint program of the Boston Museum School and Tufts University and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Following his bestselling The Figurative Artist's Handbook (2017), New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting is his second book published by Monacelli Studio. He contributed a chapter about Surrealist photography to the exhibition catalog Photography: Real and Imagined (2024), profiling the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, and has also written for The Brooklyn Rail and other influential art periodicals and blogs. In 2009, he founded The Teaching Studios of Art, an in-person and online art school devoted to instruction in figurative art. Zeller maintains a studio practice in Brooklyn, New York, and is the recipient of two Posey Fellowships and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. He has curated group exhibitions and shown his own work at galleries in the United States and Europe.

Lee Miller not only Man Ray’s muse, but above all a professional in her own right

Model, photographer, muse, the first female war correspondent to report the horrors of the concentration camps liberated by American troops, and 20th-century icon. Lee Miller was all this and much more. She went through life with passion and determination and life repaid her with love and friends, but also with pain and posthumous, or at least tardy, acknowledgement.

Through approximately 140 photographs by Lee Miller and Man Ray, some objects d’art, and video documents loaned by Lee Miller Archives and Fondazi one Marconi, this book intends to do justice to this woman as beautiful as she was clever and talented, taking her out of Man Ray’s overpowering shadow. It will reveal a deep but complicated relationship more objectively (Man Ray was first her teacher, then lover, and in the end friend), and document the effect they both had on each other and how it inspired their work.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition in Venice, the volume features texts by the curator, Ami Bouhassane (Miller’s grand-daughter), and Anthony Pen rose (Miller’s son). Moreover it includes portraits by Man Ray of friends and important protagonists of the period (Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Giorgio de Chirico, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí), as well as surrealist shots of Lee Miller in which she seeks to investigate and reveal her soul and torments.

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The exhibition offers a portrait of Surrealism through two of its greatest exponents, with more than 100 photographs, art works and new relevant documentation.

In 1929, Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, a young American model often seen in Vogue magazine, arrived in Paris with the intention of becoming a photographer. Uninvited and with no prior introduction, she presented herself at the studio of Man Ray, a noted Surrealist artist and photographer specializing in portraits of contemporary society, insisting that she become his apprentice. The encounter marked the beginning of a life-long relationship. The years 1929-1932 were a time of particularly fertile collaboration, during which the fiercely independent, highly-motivated Lee was soon alternating in the roles of apprentice, photography assistant, lover and muse. After that period, Lee opened and successfully managed her own studio. As prominent figures in avant-garde society (Paris, New York and London) and close friends of such leading artists as Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst, and Paul Eluard, Ray and Miller formed part of the early liberal surrealist milieu of the 20s and 30s.

The book, published to complement the Milan exhibition, aims to establish Miller’s remarkable talent as a photographer, setting her on a par with Man Ray, whose work has tended to overshadow hers, and to re-examine the couple’s professional and personal relationship. It also reveals the crucial ways in which Lee Miller inspired Man Ray’s work at that time as well as later, including the discovery of the photographic technique of solarization, which quickly became Ray’s most widely-recognized style. Through a wide selection of their portraits of famous people, their relationship is used as a lens through which to critically re-evaluate and re-interpret the relationship between the two within the Surrealist movement and the broader avant-garde society of Paris between the mid-20s and the late 30s.

About the Author:

Victoria Noel-Johnson is an independent British art historian and curator, specialising in early 20th century European art.

Unleash the unconscious: Provoking the establishment with primal instincts 

With Salvador Dalias its figurehead, the great ship of Surrealism traversed the turbulent seas of the early twentieth century with sails billowing with dreams and desires. Inspired by the psychoanalytical practise of Sigmund Freud, the Surrealists championed the unconscious as the domain of truth, uninhibited by the standards or expectations of society.

With techniques ranging from hypnotism to nocturnal walks to automatic writing, the likes of Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Brassai, and Meret Oppenheim produced paintings, drawings, texts, and films in which they sought to excavate their most intimate and primal instincts. 

The results abound with sexual fantasies, with mysterious, menacing creatures, and with the juxtaposition of seemingly contradictory objects or ideas.

This book introduces the origins and the sensational legacy of the Surrealist movement, one of the most profound and enduring influences on film, theatre, literature, art, and thought.

Featured artists: Hans Arp, Andre Breton, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee, Rene Magritte, Andre Masson, Matta, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Meret Oppenheim, Yves Tanguy.

About the series:

- Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre series features:
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions
- a detailed illustrated introduction plus a timeline of the most important political, cultural, and social events that took place during that period
- a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and accompanying interpretation, as well as a portrait and brief biography of the artist

This beautifully illustrated new volume on the Surrealist movement uncovers the influence magic, myth and the occult had on its development.

Like no other 20th-century movement, Surrealism was keenly inspired by tropes of magic, myth and the occult. In their engagement with the irrational and the unconscious, numerous of its members looked to magic as a poetic and deeply philosophical discourse, related to both arcane knowledge and individual self-empowerment. In their works, they heavily drew on esoteric symbols and cultivated the image of the artist as a magician, visionary, and alchemist. This catalog explores the myriad ways, in which magic and the occult informed the development of the Surrealist movement in international perspective, from the “metaphysical paintings” of Giorgio de Chirico through to works of the post-war period. Lavishly illustrated, it combines longer research essays with focused chapter introductions, all penned by leading scholars in the field.

Amongst the many fascinating artists included in the volume are Victor Brauner, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Paul Delvaux, Enrico Donati, Max Ernst, Leonor Fini, Wifredo Lam, René Magritte, Roberto Matta, Roland Penrose, Kay Sage, Kurt Seligmann, Dorothea Tanning, Yves Tanguy, and Remedios Varo.

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Пролистать книгу Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity на сайте издательства.

Surrealism was one of the most influential art movements of the twentieth century. This book examines the dialogue between Surrealism and design and, for the first time, reveals the enormous influence the movement has had on design over the last hundred years. It has encouraged designers to question the reality beyond what is visible and to design objects that offer resistance, undermine routine, and disrupt the quotidian. The spectrum of examples ranges from Duchamp’s ready-mades and Dalí’s sensual object sculptures to works by designers like Carlo Mollino or Gae Aulenti and includes current designs that analyse new technologies or gender roles in subversive ways. Evidently, Surrealism has lost none of its relevance — for art as well as for design.

With works by Gae Aulenti, André Breton, Achille Castiglioni, Le Corbusier, Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Dunne & Raby, Ray Eames, Max Ernst, Front Design, Iris van Herpen, Friedrich Kiesler, Shiro Kuramata, René Magritte, Lee Miller, Carlo Mollino, Isamu Noguchi, Odd Matter, Meret Oppenheim, Mimi Parent, Gaetano Pesce, Man Ray, Robert Stadler, Studio Wieki Somers, among others.

The “Lowbrow” movement arose in 1979, led by artist Robert Williams after various art analysts struggled with categorising his works. Many artists are now associate with this new concept, including Mark Ryden, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Gary Baseman, Takashi Murakami, Xue Wang, Sara Sanz, etc.

Sweet & Bizarre is a way of describing works of art from the Lowbrow - also called Pop Surrealism - movement.

The “Lowbrow” movement arose in 1979, led by artist Robert Williams after various art analysts struggled with categorising his works. Many artists are now associate with this new concept, including Mark Ryden, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Gary Baseman, Takashi Murakami, Xue Wang, Sara Sanz, etc.

In the following pages you will find fantastic works that will make you feel something sweet and bizarre at the same time, artists like Kazuhiro Hori, Xue Wang, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Marion Peck, Brandi Milne and Dilka Bear.

Each artist tells us about their trajectory and their more personal styles.

This beautifully illustrated new volume on the Surrealist movement uncovers the influence magic, myth and the occult had on its development.

Like no other 20th-century movement, Surrealism was keenly inspired by tropes of magic, myth and the occult. In their engagement with the irrational and the unconscious, numerous of its members looked to magic as a poetic and deeply philosophical discourse, related to both arcane knowledge and individual self-empowerment. In their works, they heavily drew on esoteric symbols and cultivated the image of the artist as a magician, visionary, and alchemist. This catalog explores the myriad ways, in which magic and the occult informed the development of the Surrealist movement in international perspective, from the “metaphysical paintings” of Giorgio de Chirico through to works of the post-war period. Lavishly illustrated, it combines longer research essays with focused chapter introductions, all penned by leading scholars in the field.

Amongst the many fascinating artists included in the volume are Victor Brauner, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Paul Delvaux, Enrico Donati, Max Ernst, Leonor Fini, Wifredo Lam, René Magritte, Roberto Matta, Roland Penrose, Kay Sage, Kurt Seligmann, Dorothea Tanning, Yves Tanguy, and Remedios Varo.

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Пролистать книгу Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity на сайте издательства.

This expansive and informative book on Surrealist drawing reveals drawing to be a fundamental medium of Surrealist expression.

Drawing, often considered a minor art, was central to Surrealism from the very beginning.

Automatic drawing, exquisite cadavers, and frottage are just a few of the techniques invented by Surrealists as means to tap into the subconscious realm. While previous books have examined the connection between drawings and Surrealist paintings, "Drawing Surrealism" is the first to recognize the medium as a fundamental form of Surrealist expression, and to explore its impact on other media as well.

Surrealist collage, photography, and even paintings are presented in the context of drawing as a metaphor for innovation and experimentation. It is also the first book to encompass a wide array of artists on a global scale — from the great figures in Surrealist history to lesser-known Surrealists from Japan, Central Europe, and the Americas, where the movement had a profound and lasting effect. In addition to brilliant reproductions of drawings and other works by more than 100 artists, this volume also includes a substantial historical essay by the exhibition’s curator as well as informative essays by leading scholars.

This groundbreaking book offers a deep understanding of the techniques and concerns that made Surrealism such an intimate perceptual revolution.

Bringing together unique and rarely seen photographs, paintings, sculpture and drawings, this exquisite book tells the story of the tumultuous relationship between the artists Man Ray (1890–1976) and Lee Miller (1907–1977). From 1929 to 1932, the two lived together in Paris, first as teacher and student, and later as lovers. Historically, Miller has been described as Man Ray’s muse, but Partners in Surrealism reveals how their brief, mercurial love affair was a key source of mutual and sustained inspiration, resulting in some of the most powerful work of each artist’s career. Featuring a candid and poignant contribution from Antony Penrose, the son of Miller and the English painter Roland Penrose, on the relationship between Man Ray and his parents in later years, this is an extraordinary exploration of the love, lust and desire that drove the art of the Surrealists.

The Visual Encyclopaedia series provide up to 300 beautiful photographic and artwork images, illustrating subjects of perennial cultural interest. Images are accompanied by narrative providing background, brief criticism, and details on relevant museums, brief biographies and time lines

Surrealists appeared in the aftermath of World War I with a bang: revolution of thought, creativity, and the wish to break away from the past and all that was left in ruins. This refusal to integrate into the bourgeois society was also a leitmotiv of Dada artists, and André Breton asserted that Dada does not produce perspective. Surrealism emerged amidst such feeling. Surrealists and Dada artists often changed from one movement to another. They were united by their superior intellectualism and the common goal to break free from the norm. Describing the Surrealists with their aversive resistance to the system, the author brings a new approach which strives to be relative and truthful. Provocation and cultural revolution: aren’t Surrealists after all just a direct product of creative individualism in this unsettled period?

About the author
Nathalia Brodskaïa is a curator at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. As an author, she has published monographs on Rousseau, Renoir, Derain, Vlaminck, Vallotton and Van Dongen and books on the Fauves and Naive Art. Nathalia Brodskaïa is currently working on a study of French painters at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century.

TASCHEN 25—Special edition!

Dreamlike, fantastic imagery

With Salvador Dalí as its figurehead, the great ship of Surrealism traversed the wild and turbulent sea of the Roaring Twenties, its sails full of winds blown by Sigmund Freud and André Breton. With their mysterious, dreamlike, fantastic imagery, the Surrealists made sensational waves in the art world. The influence of artists such as Dalí, Buñuel, Ernst, and Magritte on 20th century film, theatre, literature, art theory - even advertising - is inestimable. This book traces their legacy back to its origins.

Featured artists: Hans Arp, André Breton,Brassaï, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee, René Magritte, André Masson, Matta, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Meret Oppenheim, Yves Tanguy

About the Series:
Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features:

* a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist
* approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions
* a concise biography