Tribute to work of Surrealist Andre Masson at the B&E Goulandris Museum on Andros
For the Surrealists, Greek mythology was an inexhaustible source of inspiration, a language of symbols that spoke of fundamental truths of the human condition. As a Surrealist, the French painter Andre Masson (1896-1987) based much of his work on themes taken from Greek mythology. «Andre Masson and Ancient Greece,» the title of the exhibition held this year at the Basil and Elise Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art on Andros (from June 30, www.goulandris.gr), highlights the continuing fascination that Masson had with ancient Greek culture and its myths. The myth of the Minotaur was especially appealing to him, as it captured the irrational, instinctive forces of human nature that the Surrealists sought to unravel. Other stories that also captured his imagination were those related to Sisyphus, Oedipus, Orpheus and Dionysius. After the Second World War, Masson moved to the USA where he continued working on themes from Greek mythology. Masson was a major influence in the work of the American abstract expressionists and the interest that they took in Greek myths. A conference on the theme of «Surrealism and Greece» will be held on July 1 on Andros on the occasion of the exhibition.
