Minotaure was a Surrealist-oriented magazine founded by Albert Skira and E. Tériade in Paris and published in French between 1933 and 1939. Minotaure published on the plastic arts, poetry and literature, the avant garde, as well as articles on esoteric and unusual aspects of literary and art histories. Also included were psychoanalytical studies and artistic aspects of anthropology and ethnography. It was a lavish and extravagant magazine by the standards of the 1930s, profusely illustrated with high quality reproductions of art, often in color.Suarez, Jillian (September 25, 2014). Minotaure: Surrealist Magazine from the 1930s. guggenheim.org. Accessed 15 October 2019Matteson, Richard L. (2008-2019) Paris: The Heart of Surrealism 1924 [From Documents of Dada and Surrealism: Dada and Surrealist Journals in the Mary Reynolds Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago]: http://www.mattesonart.com/home.aspx. Accessed 15 October 2019Rubin, William S. (1968) Dada and Surrealist Art. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York. 525 pp.
History The review was originally founded by E. Tériade (Stratis Eleftheriadis) and Albert Skira with the desire to produce a lavish magazine on "The plastic arts - poetry - music - architecture - ethnography and mythology - theater - psychoanalytical studies and observations." Although not intended to be strictly a surrealist review, Albert Skira had been associating with André Breton and others in the movement and invited their input, even before the first issue was published. Skira's only restriction for Breton was that he not use the review as a forum to advocate his political views. The original editor was E. Tériade, but that role was soon taken over by Skira, who formed an editorial committee that included André Breton, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Eluard, Maurice Heine, and Pierre Mabille, giving it a heavy surrealist bias early on. E. Tériade remained involved as the artistic director for several years, but ultimately departed in December 1937, in part due to the ever-increasing surrealist direction of the review, which only left Minotaure under the even greater influence of André Breton and the surrealists. By 1939 André Breton had a falling out with Paul Eluard, and Eluard and Marcel Duchamp left the editorial committee as well. Breton had virtually taken over editorship of Minotaure by the 1939 issue, however his tenure was short lived with the outbreak of World War II, an exodus of surrealists to the United States, and Albert Skira's return to Switzerland in the following months.Waldberg, Patrick (1962) Surrealism, The Taste of Our Time, Vol. 37, Editions D'Art Albert Skira, Geneva, 151 pp.René Passeron (1975). The Concise Encyclopedia of Surrealism. Chartwell Books, Inc. Secaucus, New Jersey, 288 pp.Gaëtan Picon (1977) Surrealists and Surrealism 1919-1939. Skira/Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. New York. 231 pp Jean, Marcel (1980) The Autobiography of Surrealism. The Viking Press, New York. 472 pp. ISBN 0-670-14235--2 [published simultaneously in Canada by Penguin Books Canada, Ltd.]
The name Minotaure is attributed to Georges Bataille and André Masson, suggested "during a meeting with [Roger] Vitrac, [Robert] Desnos, and E. Tériade, who were in favor of calling the review L'Age d'Or."William Rubin and Carolyn Lanchner (1976) Andre Masson. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. 232 pp. The theme of the Minotaur and/or the labyrinth, had already appeared in the work of several artist and writers including Georges Bataille, André Breton, Max Ernst, André Masson, as well as a number of drawings that Pablo Picasso had made on Greek mythology subjects. In the age of Freud, the metaphor of the Minotaur and the labyrinth had been popular in several circles of intellectuals in the 1920s and 1930s; the labyrinth being analogous to the mind, the Minotaur representing mysterious irrational impulses hidden within, and Theseus - the conscious mind, entering the labyrinth and slaying the Minotaur, emerging victorious, - with a greater self-knowledge; a paradigm for psychoanalyst and the surrealist theater as well.
Minotaure was a luxurious review in its day, featuring original artworks on the cover by prominent artists like Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp, Miró, and Dalí, and it grew more lavish with each passing year. Some volumes had various entries printed on papers of different colors, textures, and thicknesses bound into one. The drawings of artists were sometimes reproduced on fine art papers, like the originals. Later volumes featured color insets, high quality tipped-in color plates, an element that was later to become a trademark in Skira's art book series published after the war. Minotaure had 800 subscribers when the first issue was published in June 1933. The original selling price was 25 francs (no. 1–9), going up to 30 francs (no. 10–11), with the double issues selling for 40 francs (no. 3/4) and 60 francs (no, 12/13). Due to financial difficulties it was published at irregular intervals. The British art patron/collector and poet, Edward James soon came to be an important sponsor and adviser of the magazine. With an international circulation in several European countries, the journal was a significant element in Surrealism's rise from a relatively obscure circle of poets, artist, and intellectuals in the 1920s to a major movement of twentieth century art. It is a significant and historical reference for information on surrealism and has been the subject of two facsimile reprints. It was one in a succession of surrealist reviews including La Révolution Surréaliste (1924–1929) and Le Surrealisme au service de la revolution (1930–1933), Minotaure (1933–1939) and VVV (1942–1944). In fact, in the last issue of (1933), Breton published a full-page advertisement for the first issue of Minotaure (1933). Minotaure was by far the most lavish, inclusive, and widely distributed of the four.
Contributors and content Minotaure published original poetry, automatic writing, fiction, and high quality reproductions of artworks, as well as important essays and writings on surrealist theory and philosophy. In addition to the writings of André Breton, Paul Eluard, and Benjamin Péret; Salvador Dalí, often underestimated as a writer, contributed essays to eight issues, including writings on art theory like his paranoid-critical technique. , one of the editorial committee members, was a major figure in rediscovering and publishing the work of the Marquis de Sade and he produced articles for most volumes of Minotaure. The participation of E. Tériade added a significant dimension to Minotaure, with contributions in most of the issues on art and artist beyond the surrealist movement, like Matisse and Fauvism. Surrealist views on architecture were presented in articles by Tristan Tzara, , Salvador Dalí, , and Roberto Matta, . Other poets and writers included Georges Bataille, Jacques Brunius, René Crevel, Léon Paul Fargue, Georges Hugnet, Edward James, Marcel Jean, Henri Michaux, Jacques Prévert, Herbert Read, and Pierre Reverdy.
Several important artists of the twentieth century received some of their earliest, or first recognition in Minotaure like Hans Bellmer and his doll, Victor Brauner, Paul Delvaux, Alberto Giacometti, Roberto Matta, Kurt Seligmann, and Frida Kahlo. The Balthus painting The Street (1933, Museum of Modern Art, New York) was reproduced for the first time in Minotaure. Minotaure was the first to reproduce Picasso's sculptures too. Mexican print maker José Guadalupe Posada was featured in one issue. Many important photographers contributed regularly or were featured in the journal including Bill Brandt, Brassai, Dora Maar, Man Ray, and Raoul Ubac. Other diverse and unexpected figures such as Le Corbusier, André Derain, and Ambroise Vollard all contributed articles at one time or another, as did composers Kurt Weill and Igor Markevitch.
Physician and writer Pierre Mabille, with expertise on anthropology, sociology and medicine was on the editorial committee and contributed articles to many of the volumes. Concordantly, Minotaure kept an "open house to the essays" from a wide range of philosophers, psychologists, anthropologist, historians, and other specialists including Jean Wahl, Roger Caillois, Pierre Courthion, and Michel Leiris. Minotaure published the first essays of Jacques Lacan, the noted French psychiatrist and philosopher. The entire second issue was devoted to , an expedition to Africa commissioned by the French state and conducted by the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro under the direction of Marcel Griaule from 1931 to 1933. This science-based, anthropological project was conducted to survey, document, collect, and examine, ethnographic dances, music, paintings, arts, and cultures of Africa, although it was not without some political and economic motivations, bolstering the French colonial position in Africa in opposition to the growing British influence there. More than 3,000 objects were deposited in the museum, along with 6,000 photographs, 1,600 meters of films, and extensive field notes; many of which were featured in Minotaure.
Facsimile reprints Two facsimile editions of the complete 13 volume journal have been published. The first facsimile was published in 1968 by Arno Press, New York, with an introduction in English and French by Albert Skira. The Arno Press edition was in four red cloth hardcover volumes (13 x 11 in.), including illustrations, advertisements and a cumulative index: Vol, I 1933; Vol. II, 1934–1935; Vol. III, 1936–1937, Vol. IV, 1938–1939.WorldCat, Minotaure, Arno Press, New York. 1968 The second facsimile edition was published in 1981 by Editions d'art Albert Skira/Imprimeries Reunies, Geneve-Lausanne. The Skira facsimile edition, Minotaure. Revue artistique et litteraire, was published in quarto (4to) format (12.6 x 10 in.), hardbound with dust jackets and slipcases in three volumes: Vol. I, 1933; Vol. II, 1934–1936; Vol. III, 1936–1939.WorldCat, Minotaure: revue artistique et littéraire. Editions d'art Albert Skira/Imprimeries Reunies, Geneve-Lausanne. 1981
Minotaure volumes and tables of contents
No. 1: June 1, 1933 Cover by Pablo Picasso: Pierre Reverdy, [The Art of Russian]. Paul Éluard, [A Face in the Grass]. Maurice Raynal, . André Breton, . E. Tériade, [Paintings]. René Crevel, [The Art of Art]. Marcel Jean, . E. Tériade, Marcel Jean, [The Omens, ballet by André Masson]. Max Raphael, [About the Corfu pediment]. André Breton, [Picasso in his Element]. André Breton, . Pablo Picasso, [An Anatomy]. Pierre Reverdy, [Eternal Note of the Present]. Maurice Raynal, [Variety of the Human Body]. E. Tériade, [Plastic Value Movement]. Max Raphael, [Notes on the Baroque]. , . D. A. F. de Sade, . André Masson: . Paul Éluard, [The Mirror of Baudelaire]. Salvador Dalí, [Paranoid-critical Interpretation of the haunting image The Angelus of Millet]. Jacques M. É. Lacan, [The Problem of Style and Paranoid Forms of Experience]. Kurt Weill, [The Seven Deadly Sins]. [Set of preparatory drawings by Henri Matisse for "The Afternoon of a Fauna" by Stéphane Mallarmé]. Michel Leiris, [Dogon Funeral Dances].
No. 2: June 1, 1933
Cover by Gaston-Louis Roux. Mission Dakar-Djibouti: Paul Rivet and Georges-Henri Rivière, . [Ethnographic and Linguistic Mission Dakar-Djibouti]. Marcel Griaule, [Methodological introduction]. Éric Lutten, [The "Wasamba" and their use of the circumcision]. Marcel Griaule, [The hunter of October 20 (Funeral ceremonies at the Dogon of the cliff of Bandiagara, French Sudan)]. André Schaeffner, . [Notes on the music of the populations of northern Cameroon]. Deborah Lifszyc [Lifchitz], [Ethiopian Amulets]. Michel Leiris, . [The bull of Seyfou Tchenger (a sacrifice to zar geniuses in a sect of possessed, in Gondar, Abyssinia)] Documents on. [Making boxes on the banks of the (Niger Basin)]. [Masks and dance helmets from French Sudan].