La forêt à l'aube - Salon de Mai 1958

Max Ernst’s La forêt à l’aube (The Forest at Dawn) is a hauntingly poetic original lithograph created in 1958 for the renowned Parisian exhibition, the Salon de Mai. This particular example is hand-signed and personally dedicated by Ernst, adding a deeply intimate and collectible quality to an already rare and evocative work.

In this dreamlike composition, Ernst returns to one of his most iconic and recurring themes—the mysterious forest. Rendered in richly layered textures and moody hues, the forest becomes a psychological space, suspended between night and day, between the unconscious and waking life. The "dawn" of the title suggests both revelation and ambiguity, with forms that appear to emerge—or vanish—into an otherworldly atmosphere.

Ernst, a pioneer of Surrealism and a key figure in Dada, often employed experimental techniques such as frottage and grattage to evoke organic textures and unexpected associations. These methods are palpably felt in La forêt à l’aube, where the forest seems alive with secrets and spectral presences.

This lithograph, published for the Salon de Mai, a postwar collective exhibition promoting contemporary avant-garde artists, reflects the enduring power of Ernst’s surrealist vision in the mid-20th century. His work continued to challenge boundaries between nature and dream, chaos and structure, revealing the uncanny in the everyday.

This edition, hand-signed and dedicated by the artist, is a precious artifact from a master of modern art—imbued not only with visual intrigue but with the personal touch of Max Ernst himself.

Exposition - Surréalisme - Dada

Hand-signed by the artist and dedicated

Printed by Mourlot

Bon état