The Night

© Estate of André Masson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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The Night

France, 1942
Drawings
Gouache and pastel on paper
28 1/2 × 22 1/2 × 3 in. (72.39 × 57.15 × 7.62 cm)
Gift of Barbara Poe Levee (M.2014.35)
Modern Art
Not currently on public view

Label

In 1941 André Masson escaped Nazi-controlled France and settled in Connecticut, where he made works that explored the Minotaur, the bull-man of Greek mythology....
In 1941 André Masson escaped Nazi-controlled France and settled in Connecticut, where he made works that explored the Minotaur, the bull-man of Greek mythology. The Night presents the sexual act between Queen Pasiphaë and the bull, which led to the birth of the Minotaur. This subject had captivated Surrealist artists since the early 1930s when they began publishing their Paris-based art magazine Minotaure (1933– 39). The vibrant colors and fluid brushstrokes of The Night evoke the themes of violence, sexuality, and irrationality that pervade both the Minotaur myth and the unconscious, a preoccupation of the Surrealists.

Wall label, 2021.
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Bibliography

  • Jones, Leslie.  Drawing Surrealism. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.

Exhibition history

  • Drawing Surrealism Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 21, 2012 - January 6, 2013