Surrealist Manifesto auctioned off

Posted by David Pescovitz, May 22, 2008 10:10 AM | permalink

The original Surrealist Manifesto, penned by André Breton in 1924, sold at auction as part of a 3.2 million Euro (approx US$5 million) collection of manuscripts. From The Telegraph:

After selling the nine documents separately, Sotheby's then offered the whole lot to any bidder prepared to put down more than the sum total reached. Following a battle with several telephone bidders, they all went to French collector Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the privately-owned Museum of Letters and Manuscripts in Paris...

Mr Breton, who died in September 1966 at the age of 70, defined surrealism in the manifesto as "psychic automatism in its pure state".

It is the "transcription of thoughts without any form of control by reasoning and without any reference to aesthetic or moral considerations."

Link (Thanks, Imaginary Foundation!)

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Older Lost parrot recites his name and address

Newer Larry Craig "bobblefoot"

Discussion

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#1 posted by NeonCat , May 22, 2008 10:17 AM

Orangutan ballet!

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#2 posted by Anonymous , May 22, 2008 11:50 AM

Breton would probably be disgusted at the fetishization of his manuscripts as tangible items rather than for the ideas contained therein. of course, surrealism didn't quite liberate humanity either.

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#3 posted by mayray , May 22, 2008 11:58 AM

Psychic umbrella!

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#4 posted by anthony , May 22, 2008 12:27 PM

"Nothing retains less of desire in art, in science, than this will to industry, booty, possession."

-Breton