Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artefact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.

Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities during World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s onward, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film, and music of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy, and social theory.

NOTABLE SURREALIST THINKERS:

• Guillame Apollinaire (coined the term)
• André Breton
• Paul Éluard
• Benjamin Péret
• René Crevel
• Robert Desnos
• Jacques Baron
• Max Morise
• Pierre Naville
• Roger Vitrac
• Max Ernst
• Salvador Dalí
• René Magritte
• Man Ray
• Jean (Hans) Arp
• Georges Malkine
• Michel Leiris
• Georges Limbour
• Antonin Artaud
• Raymond Queneau
• André Masson
• Joan Miró
• Marcel Duchamp
• Jacques Prévert
• Yves Tanguy
• Georges Bataille

SURREALIST AVANT-GUARDIENNES:

• Claude Cahun (Lucy Schwob)
• Lise Deharme
• Valentine Penrose
• Valentine Hugo
• Denise Lévy
• Gala Éluard
• Simone Breton

Related Subreddits:

• /r/CriticalTheory
• /r/Psychogeography
• /r/Situationism
• /r/ArtTheory
• /r/FilmTheory
• /r/Postanarchism
• /r/Autonomia
• /r/QueerTheory
• /r/RadicalChristianity
• /r/Futurism
• /r/UnusualArt