Wolfgang Paalen

(Austrian/Mexican, 1907–1959)

Wolfgang Paalen was an Austrian-Mexican artist known for his Surrealist fumages. These works consisted of Paalen elaborating upon the soot patterns left by a lit candle upon paper or canvas. The artist once said his work was an attempt “to find the invisible within the visible.” Born on July 22, 1905 in Vienna, Austria, he was exposed to his father’s collection of Old Masters paintings from a young age. Paalen went on to study painting under Fernand Léger in Paris, where he became acquainted with the Surrealists André Breton, Salvador Dalí, and Max Ernst. In 1939, he fled the Nazi invasion of France for Mexico at the urging of his friend Frida Kahlo. By this time, Mexico City had already become a safe haven for a number of European Surrealists including Leonora Carrington and Leonor Fini. Over the following years, Paalen traveled to British Columbia where he became obsessed by the totem poles of the indigenous people. These new influences led to his works becoming less cerebral and more about the experience of nature and unseen cosmic elements. The artist committed suicide on September 24, 1959 in Taxco, Mexico. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Wolfgang Paalen Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Wolfgang Paalen (231 results)
Origines, 1940

Wolfgang Paalen

Origines, 1940

Sale Date: June 8, 2018

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1932

Wolfgang Paalen

Untitled, 1932

Sale Date: June 8, 2018

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1938

Wolfgang Paalen

Senza titolo, 1938

Sale Date: May 8, 2018

Auction Closed

LA NATURE CHEZ ELLE, 1953, 1953

Wolfgang Paalen

LA NATURE CHEZ ELLE, 1953, 1953

Sale Date: April 29, 2018

Auction Closed

Intra-space, 1942

Wolfgang Paalen

Intra-space, 1942

Sale Date: April 19, 2018

Auction Closed

Un couple de chevaux dressés à dévorer la..., 1939

Wolfgang Paalen

Un couple de chevaux dressés à dévorer la..., 1939

Sale Date: April 19, 2018

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1952

Wolfgang Paalen

Sans titre, 1952

Sale Date: November 10, 2017

Auction Closed

Paysage surréaliste

Wolfgang Paalen

Paysage surréaliste

Sale Date: June 7, 2017

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1955

Wolfgang Paalen

Ohne Titel, 1955

Sale Date: May 31, 2017

Auction Closed

La maison du poète, 1953

Wolfgang Paalen

La maison du poète, 1953

Sale Date: May 24, 2017

Auction Closed

UNTITLED, 1940

Wolfgang Paalen

UNTITLED, 1940

Sale Date: May 17, 2017

Auction Closed

Composition, 1945–1946

Wolfgang Paalen

Composition, 1945–1946

Sale Date: March 9, 2017

Auction Closed

Abstraction with Lyrical Form; Abstraction..., 1950

Wolfgang Paalen

Abstraction with Lyrical Form; Abstraction..., 1950

Sale Date: March 5, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1954

Wolfgang Paalen

Untitled, 1954

Sale Date: May 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Abstraction with Lyrical Form; Abstraction..., 1950

Wolfgang Paalen

Abstraction with Lyrical Form; Abstraction..., 1950

Sale Date: May 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Paysage Musical, 1947

Wolfgang Paalen

Paysage Musical, 1947

Sale Date: May 22, 2016

Auction Closed

ORAGES MAGNÉTIQUES, 1938

Wolfgang Paalen

ORAGES MAGNÉTIQUES, 1938

Sale Date: February 3, 2016

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (PAYSAGE CASSIS II)

Wolfgang Paalen

UNTITLED (PAYSAGE CASSIS II)

Sale Date: November 20, 2015

Auction Closed

LES COSMOGONES, 1944

Wolfgang Paalen

LES COSMOGONES, 1944

Sale Date: November 19, 2015

Auction Closed

La poule, 1952

Wolfgang Paalen

La poule, 1952

Sale Date: June 24, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1953

Wolfgang Paalen

Untitled, 1953

Sale Date: May 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Vous ici ?, 1954

Wolfgang Paalen

Vous ici ?, 1954

Sale Date: October 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Rêve de glaçon

Wolfgang Paalen

Rêve de glaçon

Sale Date: January 31, 2014

Auction Closed

Composition, 1940

Wolfgang Paalen

Composition, 1940

Sale Date: January 21, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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