The Surrealist Impulse: Works from the Permanent Collection includes Yosl Bergner (Israeli, b. 1920), Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904–1989); Joan Fine (American, b. 1949); A. Raymond Katz (American, 1895–1974); Roberto Matta (Chilean, 1911–2002); Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1993); Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973); Nahum Tschachbasov (American, 1899–1984), and Igael Tumarkin (Israeli, b. 1933), among others. This exhibition explores manifestations of Surrealism in paintings, prints and unique works on paper across a global and temporal spectrum, from Picasso’s series Imaginary Portraits of 1969 to Joan Fine’s Fragments of 2009, sculptural paper works that conjure prehistoric landscapes.

With their geometric and organic forms, Tumarkin’s Chaotic Drawings mark the artist’s protest against war, dehumanization, violence and  alienation. Bergner was born in Vienna, grew up in Warsaw, and settled with his family in Australia in 1937. He moved to Israel in 1950. His work Man in Flight evokes his experience of migration.  A pivotal Surrealist, Matta is represented with prints from Centre Noeuds. Known for his exploration of the subconscious and his interest in automatism, Matta arrived in Paris from his native Chile in 1933, and was among the Surrealists in exile in New York during World War II, where he directly influenced the future Abstract Expressionists. A second generation Abstract Expressionist, Mitchell’s work is marked by improvisation and spontaneity rooted in Surrealism.