Drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection and the Howard L. and Muriel Weingrow Collection of Avant-Garde Art and Literature from the University’s Special Collections, this exhibition examines the persisting influence of the French avant-garde. With a forward-thinking ethos, artists such as Arp, Cocteau, Chagall, Dalí, Ernst, Gilot, and Miró explore the uncharted terrain of surrealism, dada, automatism, and spiritualism, among others. Unexpected examples of their artwork highlight their interdisciplinary nature through the use of various mediums such as bookmaking, film, pottery, printmaking, photography, set design, and typography. Political and societal events of the early 20th century influenced their creative endeavors, artistic methodologies, and camaraderie. Paris is at the center of their transformative vision, which in turn finds its future and influence in the post-WWII American art world.

This exhibition is planned in conjunction with the Society for French Historical Studies Annual Conference hosted by Hofstra University on March 14-16, 2024.

The Hofstra University Museum of Art’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.