When Dreams Confront Reality: Surrealism in Britain

About

Experience the magical visions of Surrealism – but from an unusual perspective.

Surrealism originated in Paris in 1924, in the aftermath of the First World War while society was seeking to rebuild and make sense of an old order that had been ripped apart. Artists such as Eileen Agar, Roland Penrose and John Banting visited Paris to meet the Surrealists and went on to develop their own unique British Surrealist style, which you can explore in this fascinating exhibition.

The show is from The Sherwin Family Collection, arguably the most significant collection of British Surrealism in private ownership. It encompasses the diversity of British Surrealism and European influences, with paintings, collage, drawings, ceramics and sculpture by artists such as Max Ernst, Julian Trevelyan, F.E. McWilliam and Man Ray.

When Dreams Confront Reality: Surrealism in Britain is organised by The Hepworth Wakefield in collaboration with the Victoria Art Gallery.

Image: Installation view at The Hepworth Wakefield © David Lindsay 2022 - photosbydavid.co.uk
Artwork in foreground: Frederick Edward McWilliam, The Left Handed Tea Drinker, 1981, bronze. The Sherwin Collection, Leeds, UK. By kind permission of the Estate of F E McWilliam.