Archival Program Information
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Symposium


Friday and Saturday, June 25–26, 2010
10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Museum Lecture Hall, The Getty Center

Lettre d'amour /Rahon and Moro
 
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, journals such as Surréalisme (1924), Le Surréalisme au service de la révolution (1930–33), and Minotaure (1933–39) carried surrealist ideas about art, literature, and politics to Latin America. In addition, the transnational relocation of Europeans and Latin Americans—both before and during World War II—led to the growth of surrealist communities and networks in the cosmopolitan centers of Mexico and South America. As a result, Latin America became an important site for the development of surrealist ideas and the formation of challenges to André Breton's philosophy.

This two-day symposium explores the history of surrealist ideas and practices in Latin America. Scholarly presentations and moderated discussions address topics including the relationship between surrealism and pre-Columbian art; the role of key figures such as Peruvian poet César Moro and Austrian painter and editor Wolfgang Paalen; and surrealism's continuing legacy in the work of postwar artists in Latin America.

Confirmed participants include Dawn Ades (University of Essex), Rita Eder (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Andrea Giunta (University of Texas at Austin), and others. For a list of additional speakers and a symposium schedule, please check back soon.

The symposium is part of the Surrealism in Latin America research project, which is inspired by the Getty Research Institute's broad and diverse Mexican and South American surrealist collections. These include the papers of Vicente Huidobro, Enrique Gomez-Correa, César Moro, and Emilio Westphalen; journals such as Mandrágora (1938) and Dyn (1942); and rare books, photographs, and drawings.

For symposium-related questions, e-mail GRIevents@getty.edu., or call (310) 440-7300. Note, late arrivals cannot be guaranteed seating.