2025 marks the centennial of the first Surrealist exhibition. Learning to Look will take a deep dive into Surrealism with a series of lectures exploring different aspects of this influential movement.

Learning to Look | Before Surrealism

September 16 @ 6:30 PM

Two artistic movements from previous decades played influential roles in the development of Surrealism. Symbolism, which began in the late 1800s, used allegorical imagery to explore inner subjectivity. Symbolist artists include Paul Gauguin, Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Edvard Munch, and Henri Rousseau.

Dada, a direct antecedent to Surrealism, emerged in response to the perceived absurdity of World War I. Dada artists embraced chance, spontaneity, and irreverence. Many of them would later become key figures in Surrealism, including Jean Arp, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Kurt Schwitters.

In person at 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

Learning to Look | Surrealism: The Early Years

October 14 @ 6:30 PM

In 1924, poet André Breton declared the death of Dada and authored the Surrealist Manifesto. He gathered visual artists from the remnants of Dada and held the first Surrealist exhibition in 1925.

Early Surrealism became known as Abstract Surrealism, with a focus on automatism—an approach that used spontaneity and chance to develop imagery. Key abstract surrealists include Max Ernst, André Masson, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy.

As interest in the movement began to wane, Breton introduced new artists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, whose tightly rendered works became known as Representational Surrealism.

In person at 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

Learning to Look | Women of Surrealism

November 18 @ 6:30 PM

The early years of Surrealism were essentially a men’s club; however, many women worked at its periphery and gradually emerged from the shadow cast by André Breton.

Women who contributed to the Surrealist movement include painters Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Kay Sage, Dorothea Tanning, and Remedios Varo. Notable sculptors include Meret Oppenheim, and important photographers include Claude Cahun and Dora Maar.

In person at 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

Learning to Look | Later Surrealism

December 9 @ 6:30 PM
The organized Surrealist movement dissolved with the onset of World War II. Many of the original Surrealists continued on their own trajectories, often in the United States or Latin America, where they encountered artists who adapted Surrealist ideas into their work.

Notable Latin American Surrealists include Frida Kahlo, Wifredo Lam, and Roberto Matta. The Surrealist practice of automatism would go on to influence artists of the New York School, including Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

Learning to Look is presented in partnership with the Patchogue – Medford Library