Victor Brauner

1903 Piatra Neamt, Rumänien
1966 Paris


The surrealist painter Victor Brauner was born on June 15, 1903 as the son of Jewish parents in Piatra Neamt, Rumania. In 1921, Brauner began studies at the School of Fine Arts in Bucharest. There in 1924, he had his first exhibit. In the same year, Victor Brauner was a co-founder of the Dadaist journal "75 H.P.". Six years later, the artist moved to Paris. There Victor Brauner was brought into the circle of surrealists by Alberto Giacometti and Yves Tanguy. In 1933, André Breton helped arrange a solo exhibit for him in Paris.
Seven years later, Victor Brauner was involved in a fight; as a result, his right eye was destroyed. This left more than merely physical traces in the artist. Brauner withdrew and reflected this experience in his work. From now on the image of a single, fixed, over-sized eye appears frequently in Victor Brauner’s work. This is expressed particularly in the work "La Pierre Philosophale" from 1940. In the same year, Victor Brauner fled from the National Socialists, first into the Pyrenees and later into the Alps. During this time (beginning in 1943), he began to experiment with the wax painting techniques.
After the end of the war, Victor Brauner returned to Paris. In his subjects, themes from mythology are increasingly included, as for example in the work "Der doppelte Löwe" [The Double Lion] from 1947. In addition, Brauner composed lyrical poetry; with its content he separated himself from surrealism. In 1948, this led to his expulsion from the surrealist society. From 1960 on, Victor Brauner’s works are more and more often characterized by light-hearted features.
On March 12, 1966, Victor Brauner died from phlebitis in Paris.