Surrealists in New York

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An absorbing group biography reveals how exiles from war-torn France brought Surrealism to America, shifting the art world's center from Paris to New York and sparking Abstract Expressionism. In 1957, American artist Robert Motherwell claimed that Abstract Expressionism was born from a brief liaison between America and France, suggesting it should be called "abstract surrealism." This narrative explores this "liaison" and the European exiles who introduced Surrealism, focusing on printmaker Stanley William Hayter and his legendary Atelier 17 studio. Here, artists pushed the boundaries of modern art, with Jackson Pollock discovering the balance of freedom and control that led to his iconic drip paintings. The influence of Max Ernst, André Masson, Louise Bourgeois, and other émigrés on American artists like Motherwell, Pollock, and Mark Rothko has been overlooked in art history. Drawing on firsthand documents, interviews, and archival materials, the author brings to life the events and personalities of this crucial encounter, revealing a fascinating new perspective on twentieth-century art history.