Where did Surrealism originate?

Surrealism originated in Paris, France, in the early 1920s. The city’s cafes, galleries, and intellectual circles provided fertile ground for the movement’s development, building on Paris’s status as the center of the avant-garde. While Paris remained Surrealism’s center, the movement spread internationally, with important groups forming in Belgium (Magritte, Delvaux), Czechoslovakia, England, Mexico (Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo), and throughout Latin America. During World War II, many Surrealists fled to New York, influencing American artists who would develop Abstract Expressionism. Today, surrealist practice flourishes globally, with Surrealism Today featuring contemporary artists from Spain, Poland, Norway, and beyond working in traditions from Pop Surrealism to Dark Art.