Discover the Links Between European Surrealism and the Alchemical Tradition
Over the last century the primal strangeness of the surrealists has become world-renowned, but what isn’t so
well-known is the hidden relationship between surrealism and alchemy. The works of both traditions not
only had a decisive influence on each other but created a unique path for alchemy to leave its underground
workshops to impact culture.
Patrick Lepetit draws on rare primary documents to reveal the connections between surrealism, 20th
century alchemy, and 19th century occultism. He examines the hidden subtleties of surrealism to see the
esoteric messages embedded in its vision of the self and cosmos. Exploring the writings of Éliphas Lévi,
Jewish and Christian Kabbalah, and Hermeticism, he shows how surrealist symbology contained an
initiatory dimension, a “secret teaching” that was integral to its expression and deeply inspiring to the
surrealists. Early alchemists used codes and word games, such as the perfect and divine “language of the
birds,” to discuss the work in ways that would baffle the uninitiated and evade the suspicions of the church.
Readers will learn about artists André Breton, Salvador Dalí, Irene Hillel-Erlanger, Bernard Roger, and
Jorge Camacho and how they worked with alchemists Fulcanelli, René Alleau, and Eugène Canseliet.
Surrealism and Operative Alchemy is a deeply researched study that situates the surrealists in their
proper place as members of an age-old tradition of wisdom.
Author Bio: Patrick Lepetit, is the author of The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism and
has written several books in French on surrealism and esoteric traditions. He is a
member of the Grand Orient de France and of the Mélusine Network of scholars
interested in surrealism. He lives in Mons en Baroeul, France.
