'Surrealism manifesto' takes pride of place in Paris celebration of movement's centenary

The soon-to-be-renovated Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing a vast retrospective of surrealist works to celebrate the 100th birthday of the movement. 

Around 500 artworks, from Picasso and Giacometti to Magritte and Dali, are on show in the exhibition that was first displayed in Brussels last spring. 

The Surrealist works were gathered from international public and private collections, including paintings, photographs and literary documents. 

Exhibit curators Didier Ottinger and Marie Sarré say their intention is to shed a new light on the genre. 

“Surrealism is in fact the reaction of young people who have been sent to the war when they were 20 years old, at least,” said Ottinger. 

“And finally, they came back and wanted to destroy the world which was this world which had driven the civilisation and humankind to a destruction. So they wanted to build something completely new.” 

First displayed in Brussels last spring, this expanded exhibition will run until January 13th, 2025 in Paris. It will then tour Spain, Germany and the United States. 

Watch more in the player above.