Was Eugène Atget a Surrealist?

Yes, Eugène Atget is often considered to be a proto-Surrealist due to the photographs he produced late in his life. Early in his career, he captured Parisian streetscapes, shop fronts, and architectural details in a straight documentary style, in contrast to the Pictorialist trend at the time. In the 1920s, Atget's work became increasingly expressive and metaphorical. These later pieces were championed by the Surrealists for their poetic and haunting mood. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Eugène Atget photographic art.