Symbols of Healing: Surrealism and Magic in the 1940s

While we wait for the temporary exhibition, Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity, opening April 9, 2022, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents an online talk by Gražina Subelytė, curator of the exhibition.

Symbols of Healing: Surrealism and Magic in the 1940s

The rise of Fascism made social, political, and spiritual renewal an evermore urgent task for the Surrealists. During a time of global conflict, they embraced magic and the occult as symbols of healing, using them as symbolic discourses with which to map their faith in a time of rebirth after the war. Although many works from the 1940s evoke a sense of anguish or existential threat, their overall stance remained an optimistic one, based on the hope for regeneration. During the talk, Gražina Subelytė will explore the development of Surrealism during and after World War II, focusing on the movement’s investment in magic and its artistic and political implications.

PLEASE NOTE

• This is an online meeting on the Zoom platform. No recording is available.
• Participation is free upon registration, available on this page.
• The meeting is in Italian and lasts approx. 60 minutes, including a brief Q&A session.
• For further information didattica@guggenheim-venice.it