André Masson French, 1896-1987
André Masson, born on January 4th, 1896, is a major figure of the surrealist movement and considered one of the fathers of automatism, as well as a strong influencer on the abstract expressionist movement which was born in New York during the 1940's.
Masson's career as a surrealist truly took shape in 1922, after he moved to the Atelier Blomet in Paris which became to the surrealists what the Bateau Lavoir was to the cubists. His close contact to Joan Miro took Masson's artistic production to an irrationallevel, one that he had not reached before. A couple years later, Masson became one of the most important artists to sign with Galerie Simon, the gallery of the famous dealer, Henri Kanhweiler. Masson's involvement with Kanhweiler and other artists of the gallery, notably Juan Gris, kept cubism essential to Masson's early surrealist works. With the likes of Joan Miro and Max Ernst, Masson always pushed the boundaries of experimentation by integrating various techniques, material and support into his production. In 1927, Masson he began experimenting with sculpture, using terracotta, clay and plaster.
Famous for his "automatic drawings" and his "sand paintings", he is marked - on an aesthetic level - by "the spirit of metamorphosis" and "the mythical invention" and - on an ethical level - by a visceral anti-conformism, including within the surrealist group from which he eventually moved away from.However, Masson remained a true surrealist: never throughout his artistic production did he abandon the surrealist aesthetics.
Having narrowly escaped death during the First World War, and being sensitive to the writings of Sade and his friend Georges Bataille, his work can be interpreted as an uncompromising questioning of human barbarity and perverse behavior. This preoccupation with all aesthetic considerations taking a primary role in his artistic language explains the role he plays in modern art by the fact that "he never cared to please."
His influence is mainly notable in New York during the Second World War, where he stayed after fleeing Nazi Germany. His paintings break with the classic pattern of figures standing out against a background in order to best symbolize the state of mental confusion that - according to him - governed his century. And his work served as a reference to founders of abstract expressionism, primarily with the painters Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky.
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André MassonMétamorphose, 1929Oil on canvas60 x 73 cmSigned on the back.
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André MassonLe Couple, 1930Ink on paper32 x 38 cmSigned and dated on the lower right corner.
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André MassonLe Rapt, 1932Oil on canvas24.3 x 33.2 cm
Monogramed and dated on the lower left «AM -32-»
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André MassonMassacre des chevaux, 1933Pastel and charcoal on paper62.2 x 47 cmSigned on the lower right corner.
Titled on the upper left corner -
André MassonL'entrée du taureau, 1937Oil on canvas26 x 67 cmSigned on the upper left corner
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André MassonLe Thé chez Franco, 1938Ink on paper45,5 x 58 cmSigned and dated lower left : André Masson 19 novembre 1938.
Titled lower center : Le thé chez Franco -
André MassonLe balisier , 1941India ink on paper50 x 38 cmSigned and dated by the artist on the lower right.
Titled on the upper right corner. -
André MassonFemme tourmentée, 1942Bronze25,5 × 16 × 13 cmMonogrammé et numéroté, avec la marque du fondeur « AM / 3/6/ Valsuani Cire Perdue»
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André MassonMinotaure I, 1942Bronze12 × 14,6 × 10,4 cmMonogrammé et numéroté, avec la marque du fondeur « AM / 4/6/ Valsuani Cire Perdue»
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André MassonLe Loup-Garou, 1943Pastel and charcoal on paper61 x 45.5 cmSigned on the lower right corner.
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André MassonPaysage aux deux poissons, 1955Charcoal and pastel on paper.68 x 48 cmSigned on the lower left corner.
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André MassonFête , 1956Oil on Canvas90 x 81 cmSigned on the lower left side "André Masson"
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André MassonLa ville abandonnée, 1923-24Pastel62.2 x 47 cm (24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in.)
Framed: 98.5 x 83.3 cm ( 38 3/4 x 32 3/4 in.)Signed on the lower left, "André Masson" -
André MassonPoursuite, 1933Oil on canvas81 x 116 cm (32 x 45 ¾ in.)Signed, lower left
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André MassonVille crânienne, 1940Watercolor on paper laid on canvas48 x 62 cm (18 7/8 x 24 ½ in.)Signed and dated lower left : André Masson 1940
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André MassonMartiniquaise, 1941Ink on paper30 x 22.6 cm (11 7/8 x 9 in.)Monogramed and signed lower right : a.m. 41
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André MassonPortrait de Peter Matisse, 1943Pastel on paper49 x 39 cm (9 3/8 x 15 3/8 in.)
Framed: 65 x 55 cmSigned on the lower left -
André MassonSerruriers (Locksmiths), 1946Pastel, charcoal and ink on kraft paper.60.8 x 46.3 cm (24 x 18 ¼ in.)Stamp of the artist on the lower left. 1946.
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André MassonJeux d'oiseaux, c. 1965Felt pen on tracing paper35 x 35.5 cm (13 ¾ x 14 in.)Signed on the lower left, "André Masson"
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