Surrealism in Egypt

Sam Bardaouil (Ph.D.) is an art historian and curator whose research focuses on the international expression of modernism. He has taught at universities such as the American University of Beirut and the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and published in academic journals such as Dada/Surrealism, Qantara, and the International Journal of Humanities. He is co-founder of Art Reoriented, a multidisciplinary curatorial platform based in Munich and New York. Among their many exhibitions, Art Reoriented curated the critically-acclaimed Lebanese Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013), the groundbreaking, international exhibition Tea with Nefertiti (2012 - 2014) and Art et Liberte: Rupture, War and Surrealism in Egypt (1938 - 1948) at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Kunstsammlung 21 in Dusseldorf and the Tate Liverpool (2016 - 2018).

Ultimately, this book not only shines a bright light on a key moment in the development of surrealism in Egypt but also makes room for new comparative studies using Art and Liberty as one substantial reference point to better comprehend the complexities of surrealism as a transnational movement.

• IntrofuctionSection IWar, Poverty and a Manifesto: In the Backdrop of Art and LibertyI. Chapter 1In the Thick of War: The Impact of WWII on the Literary and Pictorial Imagery of the Art and Liberty Group (page 51)I. Chapter 2Poverty is a Social Matter… And an Artistic One Too: The Art and Liberty Group and the Plight of the Working Class (page 115)I. Chapter 3Fascism at Home: Towards a New Reading of Art and Liberty’s Manifesto of December 22, 1938 (page 148)- - -Section IITo the Rescue: Art and Liberty and the Reworking of Surrealism from CairoII. Chapter 4Surrealism at Work in Cairo: Art and Liberty’s Subjective Realism, or When “Surrealist” Art Becomes “Free” Art (page 243)II. Chapter 5Beyond Regionalist Modernisms: Art and Liberty and British Post-Surrealism (page 318)II. Chapter 6From Theory to Action: The Exhibition Practices, Performances and Surrealist Events of the Art and Liberty Group By Way of ConclusionArt and Liberty: A Legacy Interrupted… A Legacy All the Same (Page 404)- - -Appendix 1Plates of Artworks by the Art and Liberty Group (Dropbox)Appendix 2Plates of Archival Materials and Primary Documents Related to the Art and Liberty Group (Dropbox)Appendix 3Transcripts of Select Writings by and about the Art and Liberty Group