JINDRAaICH HEISLER : SURREALISM UNDER PRESSURE, 1938-1953
by: Toman, JindrAaich

Hardcover. Chicago , Art Institute of Chicago ; New Haven, Conn. : Distributed by Yale University Press, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover with dust jacket. Like new in publisher's shrink-wrap. The story of Jindrich Heislter--a Jewish surrealist who remained in Czechoslovakia and continued to produce art during the Nazi occupation is fascinating. It's particularly worth comparing to many of the European surrealists, who fled to the safety of the United States for the duration. Heisler's art has moments of greatness, particularly his unique cliche-verres, but the vast majority of it is third-rate (if that) surrealist photo-tableaux, art school poetry, object assemblages, and horror vacui typography.