French painter, printmaker, illustrator and theater decorator, André Masson was one of the major figures of the surrealist movement of the 1920s. His work is imbued with the spirit of metamorphosis: he questions human barbarity and perverse behaviors. This interest takes precedence over his aesthetic research, which has earned him a marginal position in the history of modern art. His automatic drawings and sand paintings contribute to his reputation. His figures standing out against the background inspire Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky, the founders of abstract expressionism.

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André Masson trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, then at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. James Ensor is one of his main influences. After meeting André Breton, he joined the surrealist movement. He frequented Soutine, Miró, Robert Desnos, Pablo Desnos, Pablo Picasso, Pablo Picasso, Aimé Césaire and his friend Georges Bataille with whom he shared the same questions : the two friends were fascinated by human cruelty.

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Throughout his career, he combined his creations with those of the poets and writers whose works he illustrated, or for whom he designed costumes and sets. In 1961, he illustrated “A roll of the dice will never abolish chance” by Stéphane Mallarme.

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In 1954, he received the Grand Prix National des Arts. His works are exhibited in numerous museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Pompidou Center, the Museum of Modern Art or the Tate Gallery.

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