The Traumatic Surreal, an exhibition in the United Kingdom, is bringing a fresh look at Surrealism as the art movement celebrates its centenary. Focussing exclusively on the post-war works of women artists from Switzerland, Germany and Austria, the show sheds light on a feminist – and overlooked – thread in the evolution of the movement. To mark the centenary of the publication of The Surrealist Manifesto (1924) by André Breton, the world’s top art institutions have thrown a spotlight on the movement. They include the Tate Modern in London, the New York Metropolitan Museum’s Surrealism Beyond Borders in 2022 and the imposing 100 Years of Surrealism survey at the Pompidou Centre in Paris (on show until January 13). Now a bold curatorial choice at the more humble Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, UK, is repositioning the movement in a genuinely new, refreshing light. Eschewing the predominantly male artists of the genre such as Max Ernst, Salvador Dali and René Magritte, curators Clare ...
