What Is That?

Surrealism

What has a lobster got in common with a telephone? Find out here!

Video placeholder

Now you know a little more about surrealism, what do you think?

Which surrealist artist is your favourite?

What unexpected things would you put together? How about drawing a tree wearing a scarf or a squirrel with a monocle?!

More surrealist art

René Magritte, ‘Man with a Newspaper’ 1928
René Magritte
Man with a Newspaper 1928
Tate
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019
Claude Cahun, ‘I Extend My Arms’ 1931 or 1932
Claude Cahun
I Extend My Arms 1931 or 1932
Tate
© The estate of Claude Cahun
Giorgio de Chirico, ‘The Uncertainty of the Poet’ 1913
Giorgio de Chirico
The Uncertainty of the Poet 1913
Tate
© DACS, 2019
Marcel Mariën, ‘Star Dancer’ 1991
Marcel Mariën
Star Dancer 1991
Tate
© DACS, 2019
Leonora Carrington, ‘Do You Know My Aunt Eliza?’ 1941
Leonora Carrington
Do You Know My Aunt Eliza? 1941
Tate
© The estate of the artist, DACS, 2019
Max Ernst, ‘Celebes’ 1921
Max Ernst
Celebes 1921
Tate
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019
Joan Miró, ‘The Conductor’ 1976
Joan Miró
The Conductor 1976
Tate
© Succession Miro/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019
Paul Nash, ‘Landscape from a Dream’ 1936–8
Paul Nash
Landscape from a Dream 1936–8
Tate
Sir Roland Penrose, ‘Le Grand Jour’ 1938
Sir Roland Penrose
Le Grand Jour 1938
Tate
© The estate of Sir Roland Penrose
Salvador Dalí, ‘Metamorphosis of Narcissus’ 1937
Salvador Dalí
Metamorphosis of Narcissus 1937
Tate
© Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation/DACS, London 2019
Dorothea Tanning, ‘Some Roses and Their Phantoms’ 1952
Dorothea Tanning
Some Roses and Their Phantoms 1952
Tate
© DACS, 2019

More to explore