TThis autumn, the dreamy and subconscious world of Surrealism will be fully revealed. September 2024 marks 100 years since André Breton founded the movement. Not only will exhibitions be held across Europe to celebrate the anniversary, but it's also a chance to lose yourself in artists' homes and studios, from Mallorca to Sussex to Rome.
Dali, Figueres
Surrealism's most famous artist, Salvador Dali, was born in this Catalan city, and his fantastical works are a great way to introduce children to art. Dalí Theatre-Museum (£18, salvador-dali.org) on a giant egg. Dalí is buried beneath the stage here. His birthplace, 6 Boulevard de Montréal (£12.60, Source:), a restaurant offering a more understated experience, opened last year. During his stays in Figueres, Dalí would often dine at the restaurant in the nearby (and still family-run) Hotel Duran.
Double Room £59, Hotel Duran
West Dean House, West Sussex
The home of British Surrealism in the 1920s. It displays artworks such as Dali's Mae West Sofa and Lobster Telephone. Today, West Dean is a college specializing in crafts and restoration, but to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Surrealism, it will be hosting a special exhibition from October. Monthly TourNear Chichester, at the foot of the South Downs, West Dean also offers B&B accommodation in its main Jacobean building. In nearby Petworth, Newlands Gallery is showing an exhibition of influential British surrealist Leonora Carrington (£14.50, Newlands House Gallery) The exhibition will run until October 24th.
Double rooms from GBP 95 including breakfast. West Dean
De Chirico, Rome
Near the Spanish Steps is Giorgio de Chirico's former home (£7, dechirico.org(De Chirico's paintings, depicting ruined cityscapes with strong surrealist elements, include some of his favourite works, with his studio set up as if he had just emerged from it. Behind De Chirico's house is the elegant Hotel Scalinata di España.)
Doubles £168 B&B, Hotel Carinata
Artistic Marseille
At the end of the thirties, leaders of the Surrealist movement, especially those of Jewish descent, flocked to the south of France to escape Nazism. One of their legacies is the Musée Cantini (free, Marseille Tourist OfficeMarseille is home to numerous museums, including Max Ernst's Monument to the Birds. The city is now a thriving arts city, and the Pavillon Southway in the fashionable Mazargues district combines a gallery and studio with characterful accommodation.
Double rooms from GBP 124 Southway Studios
Magritte, Brussels
René Magritte brought quirkiness and wit to the movement, and in the Belgian capital, the Magritte Museum (£8) displays around 230 of his works. museum-magritte-museum.be(It also has a great museum shop.) The Hotel Amigo, a 10-minute walk away, has its own bar and cocktails that pay homage to Magritte's creativity: the Scheherazade, a mix of frozen vodka, lemon bitters and rose champagne. La Fleur en Papier Dorée Cafe You can relax in the same cafés frequented by Magritte and his fellow Belgian Surrealists in the '20s.
Double rooms from GBP 260 roccofortehotels.com
Yorkshire Surrealism
The Surrealist movement used the landscape to unsettling effect. From 22 November to 23 April, the Hepworth Art Gallery in Wakefield is hosting Forbidden Zone (£13, The Hepworth WakefieldMeanwhile in Leeds, the Henry Moore Institute will be showcasing work by post-war women artists in a 'Traumatic Surrealism' exhibition from 22 November to 16 March (free entry, henry-moore.orgMalmaison Hotel offers stylish accommodation in Leeds.
Double rooms from GBP 104 Malmaison
Milo, Mallorca
Another of Spain's leading Surrealists, Joan Miró, spent the last 25 years of his life in Mallorca. As well as the museum showcasing his work, his studio and home are both open to the public, providing a complete picture of the artist (£8, Miro Mallorca(The Surrealists sought to break down barriers; the Joan Miró Museum here also offers art courses for the public. Stay at the nearby Hotel Joan Miró, which has a pool and bike service station.)
Double rooms from GBP 139. Hotel Joan Miro
Centre Pompidou, Paris
The Pompidou Centre (£15, Pompidou CentreThe Museum of Contemporary Art Paris is holding a Surrealist-themed exhibition from September 24th to January 13th. André Breton wrote his Surrealist manifesto, “Les Champs Magnets”, in the Hôtel des Grands Hommes, a former artists' hostel. Now renovated, it has a fantastic location opposite the Panthéon.
B&B double rooms from £129 Hotel des Grands Hommes
Dada in Zurich
The Dada movement, which gave birth to Surrealism, began in Zurich in 1916 when the Cabaret Voltaire opened, attracting avant-garde artists who had survived the First World War in neutral Switzerland. It still functions as a café and exhibition space, and is home to the Kunsthaus Zurich (£21, Kunsthaus) is home to an acclaimed collection of Dada and Surrealist artwork, and the new Home Hotel aims to bring cultural vibrancy through its lecture and music programs.
Double Room from GBP 156 B&B, Home page
Lee Miller, East Sussex
Photo: Jim Holden/Jim Holden/Lee Miller Archive
Photographer Lee Miller lived near Lewes for 35 years with her husband, the artist Roland Penrose. Their home is still filled with artworks they have collected from visitors and made, including works by Miro, Magritte and Man Ray. It is open from April to the end of October (entrance fee £10, translation:(Born in France in the 1960s), Miller was a Cordon Bleu chef and photographer who went on to create surrealist cuisine; she is played by Kate Winslet in the biopic “Leigh,” which opens this week.
Star Double Rooms from £240, thepolizzicollection.com/the-star
