The Surrealism movement, which began in Europe in the early 1920s, was an attempt by artists and writers to release and express the creative potential of humans' unconscious mind.
Artists used unusual juxtapositions of motifs and bizarre imagery to stimulate the viewers' imagination and lure them into a world of unreality.
This exhibition features Japanese Surrealists and showcases 80 paintings by 21 artists. The paintings were chosen from the museum's collection of modern and contemporary art and include a number of works of Abstract Expressionism, a movement that is said to have derived from Surrealism; till Aug. 28.
Nara Prefectural Museum of Art; (0742) 23-3968; 10-6 Noborioji, Nara-shi; 5-min. walk from Kintetsu Nara Station (Exit 1), Kintetsu Nara Line. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥400. Closed Mon. www.pref.nara.jp/dd_aspx_menuid-11842.htm.
