Surrealism in Chicago

In the 1940s and 1950s, Chicago's Surrealist art scene was defined by local artists like Gertrude Abercrombie, Dorothea Tanning, John Wilde, Julia Thecla, Harold Noecker, and Julio de Diego. They used Chicago’s environment as an inspiration to explore their subconscious. As they understood it, surrealism was not just a way of life, but a world view, both personal but also global.

Following a trip to Paris, where they met up with European Surrealists, The Chicago Surrealist Group was founded in in 1966 by Franklin Rosemont, Penelope Rosemont, Bernard Marszalek, Tor Faegre and Robert Green. Because of their relationship with founder André Breton, they were the only American surrealist group aligned with the International Surrealist Movement.

The group was known for its radical politics (members of Students for a Democratic Society and inspired by the Wobblies) and revolutionary aesthetics. The Chicago artists showed at their own Gallery Bugs Bunny as well as the Gallery Black Swan.

Chicago still retains painters and poets who incorporate surrealist elements into their work, such as Ken Warneke, Jason Farley, Luke Agada, and Krista Franklin.