¡Una exposición como jamás habías imaginado! Descubre el surrealismo egipcio

When someone mentions Egypt, the first things that come to mind are the pyramids, mummies and sphinxes, however, the art from this mysterious country has not remained stagnant for thousands of years. Madrid’s museum mile always surprises us with a wide variety of artistic possibilities. This time the Museo Reina Sofía introduces us to a subject unfamiliar to many called Art et Liberté. Rupture, War and Surrealism in Egypt (1938–1948)

Art et Liberté, a group of artists living in Cairo during the Second World War, were involved in their own battle during the war. Setting aside academicism, they began to develop new artistic trends which had emerged in Europe and the Americas. This break from tradition, the fight against totalitarianism which it awoke, lead artists such as Ramses Younane and Kamel el-Telmisany to create the group. Today, years later, Art et Liberté is the name of the exhibit on display until May 28 in the Sabatini building at the Museo Reina Sofía after having made stops at the Pompidou in Paris and the Tate in Liverpool.

The exhibit contains documentaries, photographs and more than 100 pictorial works which help visitors to get an idea of how the war and desolation influenced these artists. Not only were they moved by their country’s political situation, which gained its independence just a few years before the horrific war broke out, but also by the wars which were occurring in Europe. This can be seen in the group’s first manifesto Vive l’art dégeneré (Long Live Degenerate Art, 1938), in which they decided to illustrate Picasso’s Guernica (which, coincidently, is turning 80 shortly).

Categories: Actividades, Ocio en Madrid