This original sketchbook by Gunther Gerzso was drawn in 1943-46 when the young artist was strongly influenced by the circle of Benjamin Péret and the European artists exiled in Mexico during the 1940s.
The book presents a striking record of Gerzso’s close ties to the Surrealists in Mexico, including Wolfgang Paalen, André Breton, Remedios Varo, César Moro and Alice Rahon. Their interest in pre-Columbian art became the foundation for Gerzso’s eventual style, a version of geometric abstraction inspired by the landscape and ancient culture of Mexico.
This notebook consists of 54 original drawings done by carbon transfer, some augmented with India ink, frottage and colored pencils. In addition there is an actual drawing done on carbon paper, which was discovered in the artist’s studio along with the sketchbook.
The gallery exhibited this sketchbook for the first time as part of Master Drawings New York 2015.
The following is a selection of drawings from the surrealist sketchbook:
