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)
Patrick Waldberg - Une étoile de craie (16..., 1973

André Masson

Patrick Waldberg - Une étoile de craie (16..., 1973

Sale Date: May 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Personnages entouré de rapaces, 1979

André Masson

Personnages entouré de rapaces, 1979

Sale Date: May 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Orpheus, 1976–1977

André Masson

Orpheus, 1976–1977

Sale Date: May 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Femme enceinte, 1962

André Masson

Femme enceinte, 1962

Sale Date: May 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled - Figure

André Masson

Untitled - Figure

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Prêtresses, 1960

André Masson

Prêtresses, 1960

Sale Date: May 29, 2007

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1983

André Masson

Sans titre, 1983

Sale Date: June 4, 2007

Auction Closed

Metamorphose, 1958

André Masson

Metamorphose, 1958

Sale Date: May 17, 2007

Auction Closed

Scène érotique. Surrealistischer weiblicher Akt

André Masson

Scène érotique. Surrealistischer weiblicher Akt

Sale Date: May 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Aube à Montserrat, 1935

André Masson

Aube à Montserrat, 1935

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

L'homme silex, 1946

André Masson

L'homme silex, 1946

Sale Date: April 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Massacres et autres dessins (bk w/suite of..., 1971

André Masson

Massacres et autres dessins (bk w/suite of..., 1971

Sale Date: May 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Martinique, 1941

André Masson

Martinique, 1941

Sale Date: May 10, 2007

Auction Closed

Une étoile de craie (portfolio of 16 w/text by...

André Masson

Une étoile de craie (portfolio of 16 w/text by...

Sale Date: May 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Reve d'un future desert, 1942

André Masson

Reve d'un future desert, 1942

Sale Date: May 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Bérgère dévorée, 1959

André Masson

Bérgère dévorée, 1959

Sale Date: April 26, 2007

Auction Closed

Dessins érotiques (portfolio of 20 w/text by , 1970

André Masson

Dessins érotiques (portfolio of 20 w/text by , 1970

Sale Date: March 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Wave of the future, 1976

André Masson

Wave of the future, 1976

Sale Date: March 24, 2007

Auction Closed

Deux personnages, 1950

André Masson

Deux personnages, 1950

Sale Date: March 24, 2007

Auction Closed

Sans titre

André Masson

Sans titre

Sale Date: March 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Étude de nus, 1923

André Masson

Étude de nus, 1923

Sale Date: April 3, 2007

Auction Closed

La chute d'Icare, 1933

André Masson

La chute d'Icare, 1933

Sale Date: April 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Femme pétrissant, 1944

André Masson

Femme pétrissant, 1944

Sale Date: April 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Composition, 1956

André Masson

Composition, 1956

Sale Date: March 26, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

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