André Masson

(French, 1896–1987)

André Masson was a French artist whose work has been cited as the bridge between Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. He was a noted proponent of automatic art, in which the hand is allowed to move freely across the canvas without a conscious plan in order to uncover thoughts and images from the subconscious mind. One such example, Automatic Drawing (1924), now hangs prominently in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Born on January 4, 1896 in Balagny-sur-Thérain, France, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Belgium, and was later wounded during World War I. During the Second World War, Masson fled to the United States and worked from a farmhouse in Connecticut. His work gradually attracted the attention of the art world in New York, and Jackson Pollock is rumored to have been inspired by Masson’s Pasiphae (1944) when it was shown at Buchholz Gallery in Manhattan in 1944. In 1976, Masson’s work was the subject of a retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He died on October 28, 1987 in Paris, France.

Related Categories

Contemporary Art, Drawings and Works on Paper, Impressionist and Modern Art, Prints and Multiples, Surrealism

Related Artists

Georges Bataille, André Breton, Max Ernst, Roberto Matta, Joan Miró

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

Gradiva, 1939
Sold price: 3,125,579 USD

André Masson Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

André Masson (6,509 results)
Autoportrait (+ Pasiphaé, study; verso), 1938

André Masson

Autoportrait (+ Pasiphaé, study; verso), 1938

Sale Date: July 3, 2008

Auction Closed

Le temps reflechi (bk by Jean-Jacques..., 1967

André Masson

Le temps reflechi (bk by Jean-Jacques..., 1967

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Toro (bk by Michel Leiris with 6 works), 1951

André Masson

Toro (bk by Michel Leiris with 6 works), 1951

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

La nuit des masques (+ Femme au miroir; 2..., 1970

André Masson

La nuit des masques (+ Femme au miroir; 2..., 1970

Sale Date: June 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Composition, figure debout à gauche, 1950

André Masson

Composition, figure debout à gauche, 1950

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Composition, homme et femme, 1950

André Masson

Composition, homme et femme, 1950

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

Auction Closed

C'est les bottes de 7 lieues cette phrase Je , 1926

André Masson

C'est les bottes de 7 lieues cette phrase Je , 1926

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Regard (bk by René Crevel with frontispiece), 1964

André Masson

Regard (bk by René Crevel with frontispiece), 1964

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Martinique charmeuse de serpents (bk by..., 1948

André Masson

Martinique charmeuse de serpents (bk by..., 1948

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Jupiter et Lo

André Masson

Jupiter et Lo

Sale Date: June 14, 2008

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Ainsi de suite (bk with 6 works), 1960

André Masson

Ainsi de suite (bk with 6 works), 1960

Sale Date: June 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Komposition

André Masson

Komposition

Sale Date: June 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Komposition

André Masson

Komposition

Sale Date: June 20, 2008

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Crépuscule du matin

André Masson

Crépuscule du matin

Sale Date: June 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Scène mythologique

André Masson

Scène mythologique

Sale Date: June 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Composition

André Masson

Composition

Sale Date: June 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Le semeur rouge - Le dormeur, 1931

André Masson

Le semeur rouge - Le dormeur, 1931

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

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Dévorations IV, 1957

André Masson

Dévorations IV, 1957

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Rapt, 1955

André Masson

Rapt, 1955

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Les rascasses, 1955

André Masson

Les rascasses, 1955

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

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Trois personnages dans un tunnel, 1947

André Masson

Trois personnages dans un tunnel, 1947

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

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Figure or Personnage animal, 1926–1927

André Masson

Figure or Personnage animal, 1926–1927

Sale Date: June 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Nu s'essuyant

André Masson

Nu s'essuyant

Sale Date: June 11, 2008

Auction Closed

Les Conquérants (bk by André Malraux w/ 32..., 1949

André Masson

Les Conquérants (bk by André Malraux w/ 32..., 1949

Sale Date: June 9, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

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