New ‘Surrealism: A Conversation’ Exhibition In London Dazzles With Its Art And Surrealist Parlor Games

The Olivier Malingue gallery in New Bond Street, London, is currently showcasing a breathtaking collection of extremely rare surrealist paintings with their new “Surrealism: A Conversation” exhibition. With the exhibition free of charge, surrealist art lovers will find themselves ensconced in heaven here.

The different pieces of artwork on view at Oliver Malingue feature key figures involved in the surrealist movement including Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Oscar Dominguez, Yves Tanguy, Victor Brauner, Roberto Matta, and Jean Arp, according to the gallery’s website.

Describing his vision for “Surrealism: A Conversation,” Malingue explained that his goal was to open up the rich world of surrealism for viewers in such a way that those attending the exhibition would come away with the feeling that Andre Breton’s vision is just as significant today as it was when these works of art were originally created.

“Having already had the privilege of staging Brauner, Matta and Ernst shows in Paris, it is an even greater pleasure for me to now showcase these important Surrealist works in London. To arrange them in dialogue in this way allows the works to speak not just to each other but to the viewer, highlighting the theories of collective thought inherent in the Surrealist movement – which is, to me, key to grasping the continuing relevance of this groundbreaking cultural movement.”

Learn how to play Surrealist party games at the latest @OlivierMalingue exhibition???? https://t.co/5si3Pu9Q29

— Evening Standard GO London (@ESGoLondon) March 6, 2018

The “Surrealism: A Conversation” exhibition is also reported to feature the parlor game known as Cadavre Exquis, or the Exquisite Corpse. This game was a revolutionary concept when it came to its approach to art, which urged players toward subconscious thought processes.

Describing the history of the game, Andre Breton has said that Cadavre Exquis was first created at a house at 54 rue du Chateau when the game would have consisted of words, thus its original title of “Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau,” or “The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.”

In later renditions of Cadavre Exquis, players would each take turns drawing an object or a body part on a piece of paper, and then carefully fold their creations over so that the next player would have no knowledge of what was there. In doing this, artists were able to create surprising, unique, and sublime images in collaboration with each other.

“Surrealism: A Conversation” is scheduled to run until May 12 at the Olivier Malingue gallery in London.