The Surrealist Impulse: New Acquisitions from the Tacoma Art Museum Collection

This selection of recent acquisitions to the museum's collection explores the influence of surrealism in modern and contemporary art. Surrealism was a cultural and philosophical movement that originated in 1920s Europe. Surrealists sought to capture the essence of pure thought, unbound by reason or order. Since the early 1930s, artists have continued to mine surrealism by creating artwork based on dream imagery, non-sequiturs, and free association. The Surrealist Impulse emphasizes the diversity of works and artists new to the museum's collection, including Gloria Bornstein, Salvador Dali, Morris Graves, Anya Kivarkis, Mary Ann Peters, and Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen. The broad range of media in the exhibition-"glass, video, jewelry, ceramics, prints, and painting-"reflects the museum's collecting goals its strong interest in the accomplishments of Northwest artists.