The Philadelphia Museum of Art has opened a major exhibition titled "Surrealism at 100," marking the centennial of the Surrealist movement. The show brings together a vast array of works from the movement's key figures, including Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Max Ernst, alongside lesser-known artists, aiming to capture the full breadth and subversive spirit of Surrealism across painting, sculpture, photography, and film.
This exhibition matters because it offers a comprehensive reassessment of Surrealism at a moment when its influence on contemporary art and culture remains profound. By including diverse voices and challenging the traditional canon, the show underscores Surrealism's enduring relevance and its capacity to provoke new conversations about the unconscious, identity, and political resistance. It also positions the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a key institution for 20th-century art scholarship.