In the aftermath of one terrible war and in the build-up to another, at a time when Europe was being sucked into totalitarianism, an art movement was born that spoke to a deep dissatisfaction with the values and traditions that had brought humanity to where it was.

Surrealism Beyond Borders
Tate Modern, London

When Dreams Confront Reality
The Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire

In the aftermath of one terrible war and in the build-up to another, at a time when Europe was being sucked into totalitarianism, an art movement was born that spoke to a deep dissatisfaction with the values and traditions that had brought humanity to where it was. Surrealism sought to interrogate the status quo, and to seek a better basis for a world, where human beings looked inside themselves, to their own subconscious, for guidance on how to improve on the landscape of suffering all around.

So no surprises that Surrealism is back, in the guise of two exhibitions newly opened in the UK – “Surrealism Beyond Borders” at Tate Modern (to 29 August), and “When Dreams Confront Reality” at The Hepworth Wakefield (to January 2023). In a strange way Surrealism never went away, since it entered the general imagination in a far more forceful manner than many art movements; but in another sense, its development was probably curtailed by the Second World War, after which Abstract Expressionism had the upper hand. What’s also clear from both these shows is that Surrealism was a very different sort of art movement, embracing novels, poetry and other art forms as well as visual art.

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