Surrealism: Desire Unbound [Hardcover]

Vincent Gille (Author), Jennifer Mundy (Editor), Dawn Ades (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

The surrealist leader André Breton described desire as the "only master that man must recognize." One of surrealism's defining themes, desire was expressed variously in Dali's charged landscapes, Miró's lyric abstractions, and Bellmer's unsettling nudes. Influenced by Freud, the surrealists saw sexual desire as a path to self-knowledge--"a theatre of provocations and prohibitions in which life's most profound urges confront one another."

Published to accompany a major transatlantic exhibition of international surrealism, this lavishly illustrated catalogue explores desire in surrealist art in both words and images. Key works by such artists as Duchamp, Magritte, Ernst, Dali, de Chirico, Giacometti, Bellmer, Oppenheim, and Cahun are illustrated and discussed, as are surrealist films and photographs by Man Ray, Brassaï, and others. The volume also features some of the rare and beautiful books produced by the surrealists in their celebration of love, as well as a selection of fascinating manuscripts, letters, and documentary photographs that reveal the personal contexts of the group's exploration of desire. Essays by leading scholars show how the theme of desire was implicated in almost all aspects of surrealist activity--not only its art and writings, but also its political struggles and its ethical stances on issues involving individual liberty and the social control of sexuality.

This attractive and provocative volume illustrates a vision of desire that embraces both sublime exaltation and dark carnality. It shows the unprecedented intensity with which the surrealists extolled love and the extent to which they depicted desire as implicated in every thought, action, event, and encounter. A major contribution to surrealist studies, this volume is edited by Jennifer Mundy, and has contributions from Dawn Ades, Katharine Conley, Neil Cox, Carolyn J. Dean, Hal Foster, Vincent Gille, Jean-Michel Goutier, David Hopkins, Radovan Ivsic, Julia Kelly, Annie Le Brun, David Lomas, and Alyce Mahon.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

Tate Modern, London

September 20, 2001-January 1, 2002

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

February 6, 2002-May 12, 2002

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Surrealism: Desire Unbound is not only a wonderfully produced catalog to accompany the Tate Modern's excellent surrealism exhibition but also a compelling addition to surrealist studies in its own right. As lavishly illustrated as you could hope for (no fewer than 300 color illustrations), the book really owes its strength to the quality of the essays, which come from some of the best art historians around. Professor Dawn Ades, the consultant editor, contributes "Surrealism, male-female," which builds on themes of sexuality and the notion of the fluidity of the category of gender so important to the surrealists, which she (and others, see particularly Surrealism and Women) has previously addressed elsewhere; her book on Marcel Duchamp, a constant reference point for so much modern art, is particularly good. Hal Foster (well known for his argument that the 1990s saw the return to bodies and spaces in art in his thought-provoking The Return of the Real) adds a superb essay on the objectification and fetishization of women within surrealist photography. David Lomas walks us through the influence of Freud (arguably the first theorist of desire and psychoanalysis) on surrealism, and Annie Le Brun rounds off the book with a look at the invention of desire by surrealism and its adoption by modernity. Desire, as a category and as an impetus, compelled much of the art and thinking of the surrealists, and this excellent volume does much to explore and problematize the issues surrounding sex, gender, and identity (the subtitle of the essential Women in Dada, which should certainly be consulted when broaching these issues) that obsessed these important artists and their often iconic art. This is a big, beautiful, and bold book that does the surrealists proud. --Mark Thwaite, Amazon.co.uk

Review

The lavishly illustrated catalogue . . . provides additional lenses through which to view the often hypnotic artworks and the affiliated groups of artists that produced them. Eleven essayists dissect desire in all its romantic, sexual, psychoanalytic, literary, and political manifestations. -- Robert Askins, ArtNews



[A] gripping album of Surrealist works in all media, from the movement's origins in interwar Europe to its legacy in contemporary art, with special attention to erotic content. Thematic essays offer as much historical sweep and critical penetration as any single book on the subject. -- Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle



This well-crafted book comprises a rich lode of 300 illustrations, many not published previously, and 12 essays (by as many contributors) devoted to the many aspects of surrealist desire. Since the notion of desire is central to surrealism, this volume is overdue and most welcome. . . . A variety of presentations and explanations of events, artists works, and particular manifestations of surrealism provide useful background and detail, thus usefully complementing the annotated essays. -- Choice



The theme of the exhibition is considerably enhanced and refined by its well orchestrated catalogue. -- Roger Cardinal, Times Literary Supplement



With qualifications, everything in the show possesses surreality--or convulsive beauty--providing we understand how to unlock it. The most helpful thing to understand is that aesthetics was never a central Surrealist preoccupation, so looking for an aesthetic experience here will not get you to first base. -- Arthur C. Danto, The Nation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691090645
• ISBN-13: 978-0691090641
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love, Sex, Art: It's All in the Mind, May 29, 2003

By 

Sarah C. Jaffray (LBC, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surrealism: Desire Unbound (Hardcover)

This book gives you an idea of how incestuous the Surrealist movement was. It gives an insight into what went on in the artistic circles of the era. It is thoughtful and extraordinarily interesting. The various authors and their different viewpoints help to show the complexity of the movement and the artists without being too much in awe of artists like Man Ray or Hans Bellmer. It is also a beautiful book with a pretty pink and gold embossed cover (under the dust jacket). Full of stunning reproductions and personal photographs. Excellent read and aesthically pleasing.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surrealism Exposed, February 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Surrealism: Desire Unbound (Hardcover)

I find this book to be historically acurate, informative, and most comprehensive. In my humble opinion, a great study of one of the most thought provoking, imaginative, and subjective styles of art of all of our existence.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genious Unbound, November 26, 2002

By 

"velvet_mornings" (MIami, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surrealism: Desire Unbound (Hardcover)

Supremely thorough and wonderful. A winner. Beautiful, a spectacular book. It's what I want for xmas! lol