Art Brussels: Women in Surrealism

For Art Brussels 2024, Richard Saltoun Gallery presents a group exhibition dedicated to three pioneering female Surrealist artists: Myriam BAT-YOSEF (b. 1931, Germany - d. 2023, France), Carmen DIONYSE (b. 1921 - 2013, Belgium) and TOYEN (b. 1902, Czechia - d. 1980, France). 

Carmen DIONYSE, who spent her entire artistic career in Ghent, drew her inspiration from mythology, ancient tales, and cultural rituals. She is best known for her surreal, ceramic sculptures that depict amorphous or hybrid creatures, typically influenced by Biblical and Greek mythology. Notably, in 2002, she was honored by the International Academy of Ceramics as one of the world's preeminent ceramic artists of the 20th century.

TOYEN, a prominent Czech artist, played a pivotal role in the Czech Surrealist movement. Defying conventional gender norms, TOYEN collaborated with Parisian poets and later became an integral part of the Surrealist community in Paris with the likes of André Breton, Salvador Dali, and Max Ernst. Their fluid approach to gender greatly impacted their art, leading to explorations of gender, politics, and eroticism, including during the challenging era of Nazi occupation in Prague. After the occupation ended, their wartime art could finally be exhibited - several important pieces from this period will be on view at the gallery’s stand. 

Myriam BAT-YOSEF's life and artistic journey was also influenced by war - being of Jewish descent, she was forced to flee Nazi Berlin in the 1930s, relocating to Paris, Israel and eventually back to Paris. Her practice is intricately tied to the history of the School of Paris and Surrealism. While she was not a formal member of André Breton's group, her work encapsulates the quintessence of Surrealism, drawing inspiration from Kabbalah and Taoism. BAT-YOSEF's artistry is characterized by the endeavor to reconcile opposites, much like the surrealists, and enriched by her engagement with mystical traditions and philosophical ideas.