That Enigmatic Aspect: Magic Art, then and now

In collaboration with FULGUR PRESS, the Warburg Institute is pleased to host a special one-day symposium to celebrate the first English publication of André Breton’s L’Art magique.

What is "magic art"? In 1953, André Breton, founder of the surrealist movement, was invited by a prestigious French publisher to explore answers to this question. His resulting analysis is wide-ranging and evocative. Beginning with a literary review of magic and art, Breton draws upon Novalis and Baudelaire before considering the prehistoric rock art of Spain and France, the native art of the Pacific Northwest, the magical grimoires and alchemical symbolism of the Middle Ages, and the work of Hieronymus Bosch, Antoine Caron, Paolo Uccello, Gustav Moreau, Paul Gauguin and the Surrealists. Through these and other diverse sources, Breton traces a mystery that lies at the heart of our timeless fascination with otherness and seeks to place surrealism as a successor to a magical sensibility that began with art itself.

This one-day symposium will explore the story behind the development and publication of the 1957 edition, an overview of Breton’s understanding of "magic art" perspectives from contemporary artists on magic art, and a round table discussion on the relevance of magic art today. 

Hosts: Professor Felicity Gee (University of Exeter), Robert Shehu-Ansell (Fulgur Press)
Participants: Dr Will Atkin (Courtauld Institute), Jesse Bransford (NYU Steinhardt), Elijah Burger, Professor Judith Noble (Arts University Plymouth), and Nooka Shepherd.

PROGRAMME:

1.30: Registration

2.00: Welcome (Felicity Gee)

2.15: In Grazing Light: The Genesis of L’Art magique (Robert Shehu-Ansell)

2.45: Artist Talks (Felicity Gee) 15 mins each: Jesse Bransford, Nooka Shepherd, Elijah Burgher, Judith Noble

4.00: Tea break

4.30: Artists’ Round table: Art as a Vehicle of Magic (Chair: Felicity Gee): Jesse Bransford, Nooka Shepherd, Elijah Burgher, Judith Noble, Jillian Conrad

5.15: Appreciating Magic Art Today: On the Terrain, Reception and Resonances of Breton’s Project (Will Atkin)

5.45: Closing remarks (Robert Shehu-Ansell)

6.00: Drinks


Attendance fees:
£15 Standard
£10 concessions (students and unwaged)

Ticket prices includes refreshments and a drinks reception.

BOOKING NOW OPEN

IMAGE: Antoine Caron, The Death of Sestos’s Daughter, c.1560–80.