André Masson

André Masson is a major figure of Surrealism, renowned for his exploration of automatic writing and his ability to convey psychic impulses through painting, drawing, and engraving.

At the age of twenty-six, André Masson settled in Paris, where he joined Surrealist circles and met figures such as Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, and André Breton. From 1924 onwards, his paintings emerged as immediate "automatic writing," projecting the artist's psychic impulses — or rather, his vital force — onto the canvas.

In 1927, at the Café du Dôme in Montparnasse, André Masson met Alberto Giacometti, who introduced him to chalk sculpture techniques. Two years later, in 1929, he held two solo exhibitions in Paris. During this period, the French painter created theatre sets and worked on engravings.

After living in the United States from 1941 to 1945, André Masson’s paintings were enriched by his own magical and fantastical ideas inspired by Native American culture. He travelled extensively to Italy, notably to Venice, where he was invited to the Biennale in 1958. That same year, he held solo exhibitions in Tokyo and New York.

The year 1952 marked the end of André Masson’s "spontaneous painting," and the artist then focused more intensively on engraving. Nevertheless, he continued to organise several exhibitions in the United States. In 1987, the French artist passed away during the night in his Paris apartment.