LE SURREALISME REVOLUTIONNAIRE. NR. 1. 1948. MARCEL BROODTHAERS – AN EARLY APPEARANCE IN PRINT

Paris: Le Bureau International du Surrealisme Revolutionnarie, 1948
21 x 29 cm, 48pp. 28 b/w illustrations. Tri-color printed wrappers. The first and only issue of this ‘renegade’ Surrealist journal. The Surrealisme Revolutionnaire group was co-founded by Christian Dotremont (Brussels) & Noel Arnaud (Paris) in June of 1947 with the publication of the pamphlet ‘Pas de Quartiers dans la Revolution!’ (text by Dotremont and Jean Seeger), which was co-signed by Marcel Broodthaers, Irene Hamoir, Rene Magritte, Paul Nouge, among others. The group was also responsible for the infamous interventionist catalogue-response to the monumental international Surrealist exhibition (‘Surrealisme en 1947’) held in Paris in 1947; a biting attack upon the established group’s conformity to tried and true activities and styles. ‘Le Surrealisme Revolutionnaire’ is composed of texts by Broodthaers, Achille Chavee, Dotremont, Paul Colinet, Edouard Jaguer, Raymond Queneau, Tristan Tzara, et. al., and illustrations by Max Bucaille, Asger Jorn, Richard Mortenson, among others.
A considerable document of the polemic schism between Surrealist generations and old comrades and the early manifestations of Cobra group activity. The text contribution by Broodthaers is one of his earliest published pieces (preceding his first book of poems by nine years). A very good+ example of this scarce and fragile journal.