IN MONTPARNASSE The Emergence of Surrealism in Paris, from Duchamp to Dalí

Narrator Kristin Atherton switches seamlessly from English to French as she takes the listener deep inside the Left Bank world of the surrealist artists. Beginning with the First World War and the Dada movement, the story follows Duchamp, Man Ray, Ernst, Cocteau, Dalí, and others as they create their revolutionary and controversial forms of expression, which aim to shock. Atherton's clear reading and impeccable pacing with dramatic emphasis on phrases in French keep the listener engaged with this entertaining and detailed work of art history. Her spot-on pronunciation of names and places lends authenticity. The lives of artists are always interesting, and those who lived in Paris during the first decades of the twentieth century are especially so. J.E.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2019]