Max Ernst : a retrospective : The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, [... April 7 to July 10, 2005

Max Ernst (1891–1976) is a rarity, a German artist who impressed his French peers with his wit and imagination. He was also an artist who profoundly influenced more than one generation of American as well as European painters: only Picasso played a role as decisive as Ernst in the invention of modern techniques and styles. As a leader of the Cologne Dada movement immediately after World War I, Ernst created collages in which he combined mundane and banal materials, transforming them into magical, surprising images by means of what has been called "visual alchemy." Proto-Surrealist paintings he produced between 1921 and 1923, first in Cologne, then in Paris—where he moved in 1922—are signature works of the Surrealist movement. Powerfully appealing and mysterious, these pictures inspired the early efforts of Tanguy, Magritte, Dalí and other Surrealists. Even more emblematic of Surrealist style than the paintings are Ernst's collages, in particular his utterly unique and bizarre collage novels composed of disparate elements cut from nineteenth-century engravings. The paintings and collages alike are steeped in Freudian metaphor, private mythology, and evocations of childhood memories. As Ernst's work developed, he for the most part eschewed the magic-realist imagery of one strain of Surrealism, channeling his energies into experiments with the unusual techniques of frottage, grattage, and decalcomania. Forced by World War II to flee Europe for the United States, the artist began his American career in 1941. He produced paintings, collages, and sculptures, initially in New York and later in Arizona, that were an important influence on the emerging Abstract Expressionists and were subsequently to inspire new generations of artists. After the war, Ernst returned to Europe, settling in France, where he continued to work until his death. This volume accompanies a major retrospective of Ernst's work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the first held in the United States in thirty years. Every work in the exhibition is reproduced in the lavish plates section of the book, and many comparative illustrations are included. The texts by experts in the field follow Ernst's peripatetic career and offer fresh insights into his oeuvre. Sabine Rewald's introduction gives an overview of Ernst's character and career. In one essay Werner Spies writes of the coexistence of nightmare and exaltation in Ernst's work, and in a second text he interprets the artist's career in America, especially in regard to the autobiographical painting Vox Angelica. Ludger Derenthal examines the subject of Ernst's involvement with politics. Thomas Gaehtgens's topic is Ernst and the old masters. Robert Storr's text is a highly personal view of the collage novels. And Pepe Karmel illuminates the surprising connections between Ernst's work and that of contemporary artists. It is a tribute to Ernst's complexity and ingenuity that these essays shed light on many heretofore unexplored aspects of his oeuvre. From the Publisher: Max Ernst (1891-1976) was a pivotal figure in the history of twentieth-century art. A leader of the Dada movement in Germany, he later joined the circle of writers and artists gathered in Paris around Andre Breton, the unofficial founder of the Surrealist movement. At the outset of World War II, Ernst fled Germany for the United States, first going to New York and eventually settling in Sedona, Arizona. Ernst returned to Europe in 1950 and continued to explore Surrealist imagery and methods throughout his life. This important book accompanies the first retrospective exhibition of Ernst's work held in the United States in thirty years. It examines his pioneering accomplishments in painting, collage, and sculpture and considers his use of the techniques of frottage, grattage, and decalcomania. Also featured are Ernst's unique collage novels-narratives comprising disparate images culled from nineteenth-century engravings and combined in surreal, unsettling compositions. Leading scholars write on various aspects of Ernst's life and art: Werner Spies on Ernst in America; Ludger Derenthal on Ernst and politics; Pepe Karmel on Ernst and contemporary art; Thomas Gaehtgens on Ernst and the old masters; and Robert Storr on the collage novels

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a pivotal figure in the history of twentieth-century art. A leader of the Dada movement in Germany, he later joined the circle of writers and artists gathered in Paris around André Breton, the unofficial founder of the Surrealist movement. At the outset of World War II, Ernst fled Germany for the United States, first going to New York and eventually settling in Sedona, Arizona. Ernst returned to Europe in 1950 and continued to explore Surrealist imagery and methods throughout his life.
This important book accompanies the first retrospective exhibition of Ernst’s work held in the United States in thirty years. It examines his pioneering accomplishments in painting, collage, and sculpture and considers his use of the techniques of frottage, grattage, and decalcomania. Also featured are Ernst’s unique collage novels--narratives comprising disparate images culled from nineteenth-century engravings and combined in surreal, unsettling compositions. Leading scholars write on various aspects of Ernst’s life and art: Werner Spies on Ernst in America; Ludger Derenthal on Ernst and politics; Pepe Karmel on Ernst and contemporary art; Thomas Gaehtgens on Ernst and the old masters; and Robert Storr on the collage novels.

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a pivotal figure in the history of twentieth-century art. A leader of the Dada movement in Germany, he later joined the circle of writers and artists gathered in Paris around André Breton, the unofficial founder of the Surrealist movement. At the outset of World War II, Ernst fled Germany for the United States, first going to New York and eventually settling in Sedona, Arizona. Ernst returned to Europe in 1950 and continued to explore Surrealist imagery and methods throughout his life.

This important book accompanies the first retrospective exhibition of Ernst’s work held in the United States in thirty years. It examines his pioneering accomplishments in painting, collage, and sculpture and considers his use of the techniques of frottage, grattage, and decalcomania. Also featured are Ernst’s unique collage novels--narratives comprising disparate images culled from nineteenth-century engravings and combined in surreal, unsettling compositions. Leading scholars write on various aspects of Ernst’s life and art: Werner Spies on Ernst in America; Ludger Derenthal on Ernst and politics; Pepe Karmel on Ernst and contemporary art; Thomas Gaehtgens on Ernst and the old masters; and Robert Storr on the collage novels.

Sponsors' Statement - Nikolaus Schweickart and Andrea Firmenich Director's Foreword - Philippe de Montebello Acknowledgments - Werner Spies and Sabine Rewald Lenders to the Exhibition Introduction - Sabine Rewald Nightmare and Deliverance - Werner Spies Max Ernst and Politics - Ludger Derenthal Max Ernst and the Great Masters - Thomas Gaehtgens Past Imperfect, Present Conditional - Robert Storr Max Ernst in America: "Vox Angelica" - Werner Spies Terrors of the Encyclopedia: Max Ernst and Contemporary Art - Pepe Karmel Works in Exhibition Chronology by Catherine Heroy Selected Bibliography Index Photograph Credits "Max Ernst: Life and Work draws on an unprecedented collection of source material, much of it published here for the first time, to present a compelling portrait of the artist's life and an intellectual portrait of an entire period. These letters and notes by friends and contemporaries provide insight into the reception of his oeuvre, illustrate Ernst's own texts and shed light on his biography."--BOOK JACKET Max Ernst (1891-1976) was a pivotal figure in the history of 20th-century art.. At the outset of World War II, Ernst fled Germany for the United States, first going to New York and eventually settling in Sedona, Arizona. Ernst returned to Europe in 1950 and continued to explore Surrealist imagery and methods throughout his life. This retrospective exhibition of Max Ernst's work, the first held in the United States in thirty years, provides a glimpse of the artist's tremendous productivity.