André Masson

André Masson (1896–1987) was one of the leading Surrealist painters of 20th-century France. Born in northern France, he spent his early childhood in Belgium. During World War I, he was severely wounded on the front lines, an experience that profoundly influenced his art throughout his life.

In the 1920s, he interacted with Miro and Georges Bataille in Paris and joined the Surrealist movement. While exploring automatic writing and unconscious expression, he built his unique world of fantasy.

After the 1930s, he lived in Spain and was exiled to the United States, developing expressive and powerful works. After the war, he expanded his activities to stage design and decorative arts, creating the ceiling painting for the Odéon Theatre in Paris in 1965.

Masson's work, rooted in memories of war, human instinct, mythology, and a deep interest in nature, created a unique artistic world that fuses intense energy with poetic sensibility.