Le Radici Francesi: The Parisian Origins of Arturo Schwarz’s Surrealist Collection in Rome

Cristina Heflin

Arturo Schwarz, renowned for his work on Marcel Duchamp and credited with bringing Dada and Surrealism to post-World War II Italy, played a pivotal role in the country’s avant-garde art scene. Through his Milanese gallery from the 1950s to the mid-70s, he reintroduced these movements to an audience still reeling from decades of Fascism. His expertise in anthropology, psychology, and the occult paralleled the interests of the Surrealists, positioning him as a major contributor to the movement’s third wave. Schwarz facilitated the influx of Surrealist art influencing the Italian art scene via exhibitions and publications focusing on French Surrealists and Italian post-war artists. This project uses archival and art historical research to explore Schwarz’s ambassadorial role in Italian art, situating his connection to Parisian Surrealism to highlight a legacy as a key figure in what could be seen as an Italian branch of the movement. Examining his life in Italy, exhibitions, monumental collection and writings, as well as ties to Surrealist figures, this project showcases the global reach of Surrealism and its political dimensions, and, in doing so, further demonstrating Schwarz’s impact on Italian contemporary art.