André Breton
The fierce intellectual pope of Surrealism, who defined a revolutionary artistic movement obsessed with dreams, desire, and the unconscious mind.
1896–1966 (age 70)·French co-founder of Surrealism·Birthday: February 19·The Lost Generation
Biography
André Breton was less an artist than a radical philosopher and ringleader, the man who gave a name, a manifesto, and a dogmatic intensity to Surrealism. Trained in medicine and psychiatry, he was deeply influenced by Freudian theory, which he weaponized as a tool for artistic and social revolution. In 1924, he published the first 'Surrealist Manifesto,' defining the movement as a quest to reconcile the dream state with waking reality. He presided over the movement from Paris like a stern yet charismatic chief, excommunicating members who strayed from his doctrines while championing figures like Dalí, Magritte, and Buñuel. His apartment was a gathering place for avant-garde thinkers, and his writings, including the novel 'Nadja,' applied surrealist principles to life itself. Breton's true masterpiece was perhaps the movement he midwifed, which permanently altered the landscape of 20th-century art, literature, and thought.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
André was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1896
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1896Born
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Started school
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Became a teenager
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could drive
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could vote
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Turned 21
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 30
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 40
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 50
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 60
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 70
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
Key Achievements
- Authored the seminal 'Surrealist Manifesto' in 1924, providing the philosophical foundation for the entire movement.
- Founded and edited the influential journals 'La Révolution surréaliste' and later 'Le Surréalisme au service de la révolution.'
- Wrote 'Nadja,' an autobiographical novel that is a foundational text of surrealist literature.
- Organized major international exhibitions of Surrealist art, including the landmark 1938 Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme in Paris.
Did You Know?
He initially trained as a medical doctor and worked in psychiatric wards during World War I.
He was an avid collector of art, curiosities, and indigenous artifacts, which filled his Paris studio.
He had a falling out with many fellow surrealists, including Salvador Dalí, whom he formally 'tried' and expelled from the group.
During World War II, he escaped from Vichy France to New York, where he influenced a new generation of American artists.
“Beauty will be convulsive or will not be at all.”
