The exhibition runs through March 29, 2025. Our hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 12pm-5pm.
8324349961
tanja@redbudartscenter.com
Redbud Arts Center is proud to present “Farewell to Surrealism,” a title adopted from a 1943 essay by Austrian artist and critic Wolfgang Paalen, published in the inaugural issue of the journal Dyn. The exhibition explores Paalen’s departure from Surrealism and his transition into Abstract Expressionism.
Born in Vienna in 1905, Paalen was a significant figure in the Surrealist movement, known for his fumages—artworks created by directing candle soot onto paper or canvas. His early influences included his father’s collection of Old Master paintings and his studies under Fernand Léger in Paris. Paalen became part of the Surrealist circle, collaborating with André Breton, Salvador Dalí, and others.
In 1939, Paalen moved to Mexico at Frida Kahlo’s invitation, escaping the Nazi invasion of France. There, he joined a community of European artists and developed work influenced by Mexico’s cultural heritage and natural landscapes. His visits to British Columbia, where he studied indigenous totem poles, further shaped his artistic perspective.
Paalen’s career ended tragically with his death in 1959 in Taxco, Mexico, but his work remains influential, with pieces in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.