Max Ernst – Frottagen

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was one of the most versatile artists of the modern era. Starting out as a Dadaist in Cologne, he soon became a Surrealist pioneer in Paris. Even later, as a perpetual innovator of new figures, forms, and techniques, Ernst was continually re-orienting his work. In the process he created a unique body of work whose development is marked by the artist’s lively and peripatetic lifestyle in Europe and the United States. His ingenuity in dealing with visual and inspirational techniques, the breaks between the various stages of his work, and the changing themes are impressive. This publication presents the wealth of the artist’s multifaceted oeuvre in a selection of more than 150 paintings, drawings, collages, and sculptures, which make it possible to experience the work process that involved references to the past, the political events of the time, and a prophetic, visionary view of the future.   Exhibition schedule: Albertina, Vienna, January 23–May 5, 2013 | Fondation Beyeler, Riehen / Basel, May 26–September 1, 2013