The Surreal House (London, UK)

The Surreal House
Barbican Art Gallery
10 June – 12 September 2010

Art, architecture and film come together in The Surreal House, a major exhibition presenting the individual dwelling as a place of wonder, desire and foreboding.
Fusing house and dream, it elaborates ‘the marvellous’ as championed by the principal founder of Surrealism, André Breton. Haunted houses, caves, cabinets of curiosities, ruined castles, cages, boxes, labyrinths, bell jars and the womb suggest surreal habitats to be discovered. Exploring the power, mystery and significance of the house in our collective imagination, The Surreal House is also the first exhibition to probe the relationship between Surrealism and architecture.
Designed by acclaimed architects Carmody Groarke.

The exhibition brings together over 170 works, many rarely shown in the UK, including painting, drawing, photography, film, installation and architecture. The Surreal House presents iconic works by first generation
Surrealists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Alberto Giacometti from the 1920s to 40s – seen afresh alongside artists who the Surrealists claimed as their own such as Giorgio de Chirico and Le Facteur Cheval. Modern and contemporary artists include Edward Hopper, Louise Bourgeois and Rebecca Horn; contemporary architecture is represented by Rem Koolhaas, Bernard Tschumi and Diller+Scofidio, among others; whilst filmmakers include Maya Deren, Jean Cocteau, Andrei Tarkovsky and Jan Švankmajer.