Surrealists' Mexican Exile During World War II: A Creative Refuge and Its Conflicts
In the midst of World War II, as the Nazis took control of Europe and denounced avant-garde art as 'degenerate,' numerous Surrealist artists sought refuge in Mexico, which began accepting refugees in 1941. The Emergency Rescue Committee, founded in June 1940 by American intellectuals and backed by Peggy Guggenheim, facilitated the escape of artists such as Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, André Breton, and Jacqueline Lamba. Mexico emerged as a sanctuary, partly due to Breton's visit in 1938. The exiled artists established a community, frequently meeting at Remedios Varo's residence in Mexico City. Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Kati Horna, collectively known as 'the Three Witches,' played pivotal roles. Meanwhile, local artists like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera perceived the European arrivals as a threat, with Kahlo dismissing the Surrealist label.
Key facts
- Mexico began accepting refugees in 1941 as World War II raged in Europe.
- The Emergency Rescue Committee was established in June 1940 by American intellectuals to evacuate persecuted artists and politicians.
- Peggy Guggenheim helped cover transportation and bureaucratic expenses for evacuating artists.
- André Breton visited Mexico in 1938 and called it a 'Surrealist country par excellence.'
- Remedios Varo's house in Mexico City served as a central meeting point for the exiled Surrealist community.
- The 'Three Witches' were Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Kati Horna, who shared an interest in the occult.
- Frida Kahlo rejected the Surrealist label and opposed the European artists' presence, favoring political and national identity.
- Leonora Carrington's cousin, journalist Joanna Moorhead, discovered in 2006 that Carrington was considered one of Mexico's most important artists.
Entities
Artists
- André Breton
- Frida Kahlo
- Yves Tanguy
- Max Ernst
- Peggy Guggenheim
- Marc Chagall
- Jacqueline Lamba
- Helen Levitt
- Remedios Varo
- Gunther Gerzso
- Benjamin Péret
- Leonora Carrington
- Kati Horna
- Diego Rivera
- Joanna Moorhead
Institutions
- Emergency Rescue Committee
- Guggenheim Museum
- Sotheby's
- Artnet
- Mutual Art
- Historia Arte
- Smart History
- Ruiz Healy Art
Locations
- Mexico
- Mexico City
- Europe
- United States
- Spain
- England
- Paris
- New York