Victor Brauner (1903-1966) is a French artist of Romanian origin, known for his major role in the Surrealist movement. As early as 1924, he expressed his taste for artistic experimentation by publishing a manifesto on “picto-poetry” in the Dadaist magazine. 75 H.P., before joining André Breton's surrealist group. Based in Paris, he surrounded himself with an intellectual community composed of Constantin Brancusi, Emil Cioran and Eugène Ionesco.

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Brauner's work, deeply marked by his father's spiritism sessions, is nourished by mysticism and a magical universe close to dreams. He is also inspired by alchemy, tarot and kabbalah, building paintings where the imaginary world and symbolism are omnipresent. His hybrid figures, often anthropomorphic, evoke themes such as transformation and occult forces.

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During the Second World War, due to his Jewish origins, Brauner lived in hiding in the south of France. It was during this period of deprivation that he showed great creativity, experimenting with materials such as wax or recycled objects. In 1947, he participated in the International Surrealist Exhibition at the Maeght Gallery, before leaving the group.

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After the war, his work became darker, influenced by the political pressure exerted by the Stalinist dictatorship on Romanian immigrants in France. Brauner seeks to reveal the invisible forces of the world through a unique artistic language, oscillating between dream and reality.

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For a long time remained confidential, his work has been recognized with major retrospectives, in particular at the Pompidou Center in 1996, at the Museum of Modern Art in 2020, and more recently in 2023 in 2023 in his native country, Romania.

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