At once muse and myth, dreamscape and divination, the female form emerges as a vessel of mystery, desire, and transformation in Surrealist art. Rendered through the lens of the unconscious, she appears fragmented, fluid, and fantastical, evoking both reverence and enigma. From Picabia’s symbols of erotic idealism to the sculpted forms of Magritte and Max Ernst, and the mystical protagonists of Hannah Höch and Leonora Carrington, these works transcend the literal—offering poetic meditations on identity, femininity, and the boundless landscapes of the mind.

The Female Form

This September, Sotheby’s is honoured to present the Pauline Karpidas London collection. Featuring iconic dreamscapes by leading figures of the movement, this selection captures the uncanny beauty and psychological depth that define Surrealism at its most evocative. From desolate plains to fantastical realms, each work invites viewers into a world where the subconscious reigns. United by a sense of mystery and transformation, these landscapes transcend reality to explore the inner terrain of the human mind.

Landscapes of Dreams

From Max Ernst and Andy Warhol’s bold appropriations of de Chirico and Munch to Magritte’s wryly classical bust, Koons’ Duchampian objects, and Warren’s meditations on the female form, these works blur boundaries between homage and originality, high culture and mass media. Celebrating and reimagining the iconic images of the past, these artists reflect on authorship, cultural memory, and the ever-evolving legacy of intergenerational artistic innovation.

Reinterpreting Art History

Sotheby’s is proud to present a dynamic selection of works celebrating the radical experimentation that defined Surrealist practice beyond traditional painting. Pushing the boundaries of medium and method, the artists featured here embraced collage, frottage, assemblage, and collaborative creation to unlock new dimensions of expression. From the tactile textures of plaster and found objects to the uncanny spontaneity of Cadavre exquis, these works reflect a restless innovation that lies at the very heart of the Dada and Surrealist imagination.

Beyond Canvas

The Karpidas Collection reveals how Surrealist sculpture transforms solid matter into tactile portals—giving dimension to the dreamworld and opening gateways into inner landscapes and alternate realities. Defying gravity and convention, these works untether form from function—organic, uncanny, and evocative of the subconscious. Pieces such as Alberto Giacometti’s Femme, épaule cassée and Jacques Lipchitz’s La Femme au serpent shape the surreal through enigmatic figures and biomorphic abstraction, while others, including René Magritte’s Madame Récamier de David, infuse sculpture with wit, sensuality, and psychological charge. These works invite touch as much as contemplation, merging material with metaphor.

Sculpture: Shaping the Surreal

The extraordinary calibre of works in the Karpidas collection owes much to their esteemed provenance. It is an exceptional achievement that practically every work boasts a distinguished history of ownership. The various provenances list legendary cultural figures including the Swiss American Surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann and wife Arlette (Ballon-Cœur by Max Ernst and Marie-Berthe Aurenche); English historian and poet Sir Herbert Read (Femmes et lampes by Paul Delvaux); and French poet and leading Surrealist Paul Éluard (Le Piano by Óscar Domínguez). Many of these pieces also came from market-changing single-owner estate sales, including those of William N. Copley, Edward James, André Breton and Julien Levy.

An Eye For Provenance

The collection of Pauline Karpidas showcases a remarkable array of unique and rare works by François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, many of which were commissioned directly from the artists. From François-Xavier’s Petit Rhinocéros Mécanique condiment holder to Claude’s Choupatte, Table aux Serpents, and Structure Végétale bed, each piece reflects the depth of Karpidas’s collecting vision and her close relationship with the celebrated design duo. These extraordinary works encapsulate the whimsical, sculptural spirit of Les Lalanne, revealing the artists’ enduring fascination with the animal kingdom and the natural world.

Les Lalanne

André Dubreuil and Mattia Bonetti are not only two iconic figures in contemporary design, but also two major figures in Pauline Karpidas’s aesthetic. Blurring the boundaries between art and design, both designers draw inspiration from a constant dialogue between materials, craftsmanship and forms. Dubreuil, with a background in ironwork, elevates metal into expressive, elegant forms that blend tradition with innovation. Bonetti explores a wide range of materials like glass, wood, bronze or resin, which he transforms with creativity into unique, dreamlike pieces that blur the line between art and design. Their technical virtuosity and attention to detail make their pieces true works of art, where technique meets imagination. Their creations became intrinsic to Pauline Karpida's fantasy and part of her wonderful interiors, merging craftsmanship skills, luxurious materials and unforgettable design.

Virtuosity Meets Fantasy 

London

EVP | Chairman, Sotheby's Europe

Oliver Barker

Senior Director, Head of Collection Sale Management, Europe

George North

Head of Evening Sales, UK

Thomas Boyd-Bowman

Head of Sale

Julia Fischel

Deputy Director, Specialist, Head of Day Sales, Contemporary Art

Aleksandra Ziemiszewska 

Chairman of 20th Century Design and Chairman of Major Collections, Americas

Jodi Pollack

Chairman | Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design

Florent Jeanniard

Meet our Specialists

For further information and inquiries please email&nbsp;
 
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This September, Sotheby’s will lift the veil on the extraordinary personal collection of legendary patron and aesthete Pauline Karpidas, showcasing the masterpieces of Surrealist art and furniture design that adorned her one-of-a-kind home in London. At the core of the offering is the greatest collection of Surrealism to emerge in recent history, born from an encounter with Alexander Iolas which sparked a flame in Pauline and brought the pioneering gallerist out of retirement. Decades of acquisitions followed, including from some of the most important auctions in art market history: the prestigious collections of Edward James, William N. Copley, Hélène Anavi, André Meyer, Julien Levy, and the Estates of Man Ray, René Magritte, and André Breton.

Pauline Karpidas: The London Collection Evening Auction