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Max Walter Svanberg
Surrealist Composition, Unique drawing on paper, Svanberg Museum Exhibition 1935

1935

About the Item

Max Walter Svanberg (1912–1994) Surrealist Composition, 1935 Graphite on paper Dimensions: 10 ⅗ × 16 ½ in (27 × 42 cm); 18 ⅞ × 25 ¼ in (48 × 64 cm) framed Signed and dated lower right Exhibited: Max Walter Svanberg, Malmö Konsthall Museum, June 21 – August 12, 1979 Provenance: – Artist’s studio – Galerie 1900–2000, Paris (label verso) – Private collection, Paris Executed in 1935, this early graphite drawing by Max Walter Svanberg captures the sensual, metamorphic vocabulary of surrealism at its most vital moment—during the movement's explosive evolution in the interwar years. A rare and evocative work on paper, it features a fantastical tableau of intertwined female figures, animal motifs, and dreamlike textures that dissolve the boundaries between human, myth, and nature. By 1935, surrealism was at a peak of both visibility and internal complexity. Originally launched in Paris in the 1920s under André Breton’s direction, the movement had, by the mid-1930s, spread internationally, influencing visual art, literature, cinema, and politics. While artists like Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and Yves Tanguy were becoming central figures in Europe, the 1935 International Surrealist Exhibition in Tenerife marked a key moment of expansion into new geographies and minds. This period was also marked by heightened tension between the movement’s core metaphysical ambitions and its increasingly politicized factions, especially as the rise of fascism loomed across Europe. Against this backdrop, Svanberg’s 1935 drawing reflects surrealism’s interest in eroticism as both rebellion and revelation. The presence of this drawing in Svanberg’s 1979 solo exhibition at the Malmö Konsthall affirms its importance in the artist’s oeuvre.
  • Creator:
    Max Walter Svanberg (1912 - 1994, Swedish)
  • Creation Year:
    1935
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10.63 in (27 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Traces of old adhesive around the edges. Otherwise well preserved.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: MWS1021stDibs: LU2848216165352

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