Magic Art by André Breton

Magic Art is André Breton’s study of the relationship between art, magic, and Surrealism. Commissioned in 1953 and first published in 1957 as L’Art magique, it moves from Novalis and Baudelaire to prehistoric rock art in Spain and France, Indigenous art of the Pacific Northwest, medieval grimoires and alchemical symbolism, and the work of Hieronymus Bosch, Antoine Caron, Paolo Uccello, Gustav Moreau, Paul Gauguin, and the Surrealists.

Breton considers the fascination with otherness and positions Surrealism within a magical sensibility extending back to the beginnings of art. This edition presents the text in English translation for the first time. Drawing on manuscript notes from the original project, it restores the iconographic content as Breton intended and adds more than 300 citations and a comprehensive bibliography emphasizing sources in his own library.

BY: André Breton

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION: 1957, as L’Art magique

EDITION: First English translation, with more than 300 new citations and a comprehensive bibliography

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: André Breton (1896–1966) was a founder and controversial exponent of Surrealism. His first Surrealist Manifesto defined the movement as “pure psychic automatism.” After fleeing Europe during World War II, he traveled throughout North America, staged Surrealist exhibitions, and lent his voice to political movements.