''Littérature'' was a literary and

surrealistic Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

magazine edited by André Breton,

Philippe Soupault Philippe Soupault (2 August 1897 – 12 March 1990) was a French writer and poet, novelist, critic, and political activist. He was active in Dadaism and later was instrumental in founding the Surrealist movement with André Breton. Soupault in ...

, and

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He ...

. Its first issue was published on March 19, 1919. Dwindling circulation would prompt Breton to terminate publication after the August 1921 issue. In March 1922, he relaunched and rebranded the review with a recurring cover depicting a

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to eac ...

drawing of a shiny top hat, and the title, "''Littérature'': New Series." The new direction of the review would eventually be solely under the direction of Breton after the departure of Aragon and Soupault. Breton would have the cover image created by Man Ray replaced by new drawings each month created by

Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, poet and typographist. After experimenting with Impressionism and Pointillism, Picabia became associated with Cubism ...

, to whom he gave carte blanche. Picabia drew on religious imagery, erotic iconography, and the iconography of games of chance. In 1923, the magazine was incurring reduced sales so Breton decided to limit the publication to special issues. The first appeared on October 15, 1923; the next appeared in June 1924, and no others followed.Mark Polizzotti, Revolution of the Mind, (1995) pages 93-94, 160, 173, 196.

Exhibitions

"Man Ray, Picabia et la revue Littérature (1922-1924)" 2 July - 15 September 2014 at

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

References

1919 establishments in France 1924 disestablishments in France Defunct literary magazines published in France French-language magazines Magazines established in 1919 Magazines disestablished in 1924 Surrealist magazines {{italic title