Surrealism, a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, had developed out of the Dada activities of the Great War; the most important center of the movement is Paris.

Best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members, Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact.

Leader André Breton is explicit in his assertion that Surrealism is above all a revolutionary movement.

The Surrealist writers and painters, influenced by psychoanalysis, explore the realms of the unconscious.

From the 1920s on, the movement has spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film, and music, of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, and philosophy and social theory.

Spanish Catalan surrealist painter Salvador Dalí joins the Surrealist Group in Paris; its members include Henri Magritte, Jean Arp, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miró, de Chirico, and Max Ernst.

Film maker Luis Buñuel, in collaboration with Dali, explores surrealist cinema in his short film Un chien andalou (An Andalusian Dog).