Come mingle with fellow Curator’s Circle members over wine and small bites in Babette, followed by an engaging tour of the exhibition Strange (August 21, 2019–January 5, 2020) led by the exhibition's organizer, BAMPFA Director and Chief Curator Lawrence Rinder.

It has been a century since the Surrealist movement exploded across the global cultural scene. Surrealism championed the creative power of the unconscious and the value of irrational thoughts and imagery. It was a movement with enormous impact in the visual arts, film, performing arts, and literature; yet the spirit of Surrealism preceded the movement itself, and extraordinary antecedents can be found across many centuries and in cultures around the world. While the Surrealists sought out feelings of strangeness—of the improbable, uncanny, mysterious, and miraculous—the strange has always been a source of artistic inspiration, and continues to fascinate us today.

Featuring works from many cultures and time periods that resonate with the spirit of Surrealism, Strange explores dreams and memory, miracles and coincidence, myth and magic, death and the spirit, and inner and outer worlds. Among the artists represented are Maruyama Okyo, William Blake, René Magritte, Achilles Rizzoli, Ynez Johnston, Diane Arbus, Ariel Parkinson, Ruth Wall, Bruce Conner, Jack Smith, Nancy Grossman, Iris Polos, and Sylvia Fein.

Space is limited, and reservations will be made on a first come, first served basis. 

Not a current Curator's Circle member or wanting to upgrade? We would be happy to help. Please contact Jennifer Sime at 510-643-9632 or jlsime@berkeley.edu.

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