André Masson's 1925-1945 works reveal Surrealist innovation and influence on Abstract Expressionism

From April 27 to June 15, 2012, Blain/Di Donna presented 'André Masson: The Mythology of Desire—Masterworks from 1925 to 1945' at The Carlyle Hotel on 981 Madison Avenue in New York City. The exhibition highlighted Masson's stylistic evolution, beginning with early works like Le rêve du prisonnier (1924), which deconstructed cubism with fragmented organic forms. By 1925, Nature Morte incorporated brightly colored objects spilling beyond the frame. His style shifted dramatically in the 1930s while living in Spain, producing original compositions such as Corrida au soleil (1936) and Aube à Montserrat (1935), a molten red Surrealist landscape. Masson's works like Les Captives (1932) influenced Jackson Pollock's late 1930s figurative paintings, while L’histoire de thésée (1943) resembled early Abstract Expressionist pictures. Sybille (1944) echoed Arshile Gorky's last paintings with Spanish colors. His late 1930s pieces, including Portrait du poète Heinrich von Kleist (1939), anticipated 1980s neo-expressionist painting, notably Julian Schnabel's anti-aesthetic works. The show argued that Masson's use of 'kitsch' taste served serious art, offering a fresh perspective beyond his known impact on Pollock and peers during World War Two exile in the United States. It featured diverse works from 1925 to 1945, showcasing his capacity for innovation beyond French contemporaries.