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)
Composition érotique

André Masson

Composition érotique

Sale Date: May 28, 2008

Auction Closed

Profil, 1965

André Masson

Profil, 1965

Sale Date: May 26, 2008

Auction Closed

Hommage à Picasso, 1973

André Masson

Hommage à Picasso, 1973

Sale Date: May 31, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled

André Masson

Untitled

Sale Date: May 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Les amants celebres (4 works), 1979

André Masson

Les amants celebres (4 works), 1979

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

L'Odyssee (bk w/ text by Jacques Lassaigne;..., 1978

André Masson

L'Odyssee (bk w/ text by Jacques Lassaigne;..., 1978

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

feme allongée (+ another; 2 works), 1960

André Masson

feme allongée (+ another; 2 works), 1960

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Les erophages (5 works), 1960

André Masson

Les erophages (5 works), 1960

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Mines de rien (+ 3 works; 4 works), 1957

André Masson

Mines de rien (+ 3 works; 4 works), 1957

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1954

André Masson

Sans titre, 1954

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

Assassinat mythique, 1965

André Masson

Assassinat mythique, 1965

Sale Date: May 20, 2008

Auction Closed

André Masson. Trophés érotiques, 1962

André Masson

André Masson. Trophés érotiques, 1962

Sale Date: June 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Composition, 1950

André Masson

Composition, 1950

Sale Date: June 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Tête de profil, 1965

André Masson

Tête de profil, 1965

Sale Date: May 21, 2008

Auction Closed

Dans le pur néant. A la cime de l'être..., 1939

André Masson

Dans le pur néant. A la cime de l'être..., 1939

Sale Date: May 21, 2008

Auction Closed

Mythologie d'André Masson (by Clébert w/ 2 works)

André Masson

Mythologie d'André Masson (by Clébert w/ 2 works)

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Poèmes insoumis (bk w/ 8 works by Lena Leclercq)

André Masson

Poèmes insoumis (bk w/ 8 works by Lena Leclercq)

Sale Date: April 25, 2008

Auction Closed

L'arme secrete, 1946

André Masson

L'arme secrete, 1946

Sale Date: April 28, 2008

Auction Closed

L'amour, 1967

André Masson

L'amour, 1967

Sale Date: April 28, 2008

Auction Closed

Orchidées dans la forêt, 1945

André Masson

Orchidées dans la forêt, 1945

Sale Date: May 3, 2008

Auction Closed

Migration, 1959

André Masson

Migration, 1959

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Orgiaque, 1948

André Masson

Orgiaque, 1948

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Rêve d'un futur désert, 1942

André Masson

Rêve d'un futur désert, 1942

Sale Date: May 1, 2008

Auction Closed

Sous le signe de Saturne

André Masson

Sous le signe de Saturne

Sale Date: April 21, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

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