“The Book as a Dream”: MoMA opens major exhibition on surrealist books, from Breton’s manifesto to Éluard’s shattered glass

The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) opens on 4 October 2026 the exhibition “The Surrealist Book: Tomorrow Lives in Mirrors”, which remains open until 23 January 2027, while member previews are held on 1–3 October, according to the museum’s official press site. The exhibition shows the influence of artists’ books — books created as works of art — within the surrealist movement. For the surrealists, as MoMA notes, the book was a subversive experimental tool for unlocking the subconscious and promoting revolutionary ideas.

It is the first time MoMA presents the transformative gift of Helen and Sam Zell, which arrived at the museum in 2022 — one of the most important collections of artists’ books. Among the works on display stand out André Breton’s surrealist manifesto (1924), rebound in polished metal (nickel silver), as well as Paul Éluard’s “Défense de savoir” (1928) with a drawing by Giorgio de Chirico, rebound in 1936 with covers holding sheets of shattered glass between sheets of lead.

The exhibition also includes books of love poetry accompanied by solarised photographs, as well as sculptural bindings that turn books into interactive hybrid works. Works by André Breton, Claude Cahun, Salvador Dalí, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, Toyen, Unica Zürn, Ray Johnson, Giorgio de Chirico and Georges Hugnet are included in the exhibition. The exhibition is curated by Jodi Hauptman and Starr Figura.