Auction introduction: Dada and Surrealism transformed chaos into beauty, contradiction into poetry, darkness into imagery and the impossible into the possible. It was an avant-garde movement born from the ashes of the First World War. Surrealists didn’t try to invent the beauty of the world–they did the opposite, taking it as it was and exploring its many facets to find the beauty, joy, force, hope and humour that Classicism could not achieve. Surrealism is the disobedient wife of Blue Beard, who wants nothing more than to open the forbidden door. In today’s increasingly complex, contradictory and multipolar world, the legacy of Surrealism resonates more because it embraces these contradictions instead of resolving them. This March, “Surrealism and Its Legacy” will return in full force for a second installment, charting the history and undeniable impact of the movement. Echoing the theme of the auction, the paintings and sculptures within will unlock the story behind Surrealism, showing how these artists brought to the fore timeless themes that remain just as relevant in today’s world. The sale will once again be headlined by leading proponent of the cause Francis Picabia – with a seminal Dada masterpiece once owned by Marcel Duchamp and André Breton – and René Magritte’s take on the Old Masters of Vermeer, painted fifty years apart at two key moments in the journey. The artistic legacy of Surrealism has never been more alive than it is today. In order to underline the importance of the movement’s legacy on post-war art and contemporary design and to open up the market to today's cross-category collectors, the sale also includes works by leading artists such as Fontana, Calder and Ruscha among others.