Beyond Realism | Dada and Surrealism
Beyond Realism brings together some of the finest examples of Dada and Surrealist art from the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection, featuring works by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp and René Magritte. This expanded display provides an opportunity to view our world-famous collection in greater depth.
Beyond Realism explores the two principal forms of Surrealist work. The first form is unpremeditated art that relies upon chance effects such as random mark-making and scraping – the type of work practiced by artists like Joan Miró (1893-1983). The second form is the creation of apparently irrational images that occurred to the mind, particularly in dreams, in a realistic style. This route was favoured by artists like Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) while other artists like Max Ernst (1891-1976) combined both approaches in their work.
Image: Rene Magritte, Le Temps Menaçant (Threatening Weather) 1929 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2020
The National Galleries of Scotland’s holdings of Dada and Surrealism were transformed in 1995, with the acquisition of part of the celebrated collection formed by the Surrealist artist Roland Penrose; a few months later came the bequest of Gabrielle Keiller’s magnificent collection of Dada and Surrealist art and her library of rare books and archival material. The addition of the Penrose and Keiller holdings made the Gallery’s collection of Surrealism into one of the best in the world. We have recently made several major acquisitions of works by Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Toyen, thanks to support from the Henry and Sula Walton Fund, the Art Fund and the Estate of Drue Heinz.
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Location
Gallery facilities
Detailed information on accessibility at the National Galleries of Scotland
Parking for visitors is available at both Modern One and Modern Two. A donation is requested of £3 for up to 4 hours and £6 for 4-8 hours. Our payment meters have contactless capability. There is free accessible parking for blue badge holders.
Getting here
The Modern is located 15 minutes’ walk from Princes Street. It includes two buildings, Modern One and Modern Two, set in a beautiful sculpture park.
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Discover the stories behind the art with Smartify, the free informative art app. Scan most of the art in our gallery and grounds to learn even more about the work and the artist. Bring your headphones and enhance your visit with our highlights audio tour exploring key works of art from the collection.
Point / Pinch / Punch | The Surrealist Hand
Modern Two
Admission free
The hand appears again and again in Surrealist art, writing and film: it probes, caresses, grasps and destroys. The objects in this display explore the depiction and meaning of hands in the 20th century’s most revolutionary art movement. They are charged with symbolic potential: violent, strange and erotic, sometimes obedient and sometimes unruly.
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