Surrealismus & Wunderkammer

de Nadine Engel

Fascination with art and curiosity cabinets remains unbroken. Their names are no longer mentioned only in the context of the early Modern Age, but also frequently in connection with modern and contemporary art. 'Surrealismus & Wunderkammer' retraces the beginning of this development, when the presentation of a modern curiosity cabinet was formed at the onset of the 1980s. Established threads of argumentation are examined with the help of object comparisons and the exhibition is reconstructed through the 'Exposition surréaliste d'objets', which is considered the origin of the curiosity cabinet in the 20th century. This visually engaging space from 1936 contrasts with the second part of the investigation focused on the immersion of the visitor into early modern art and curiosity cabinets. In a chronological outline of the early architectural sites in Munich, Ambras and Basel, and also of Dresden and Prague, an epistemic space becomes recognizable, which manifests far more dimensions than a comparison with Surrealism reveals.