par Godet, Marie
Référence EurHistXX Doctoral Workshop (14 et 15 juin 2014: Central European University, Budapest)
Publication Non publié, 2014
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : While much has already been written about the relationship between the Belgian surrealists and the Communist Party of Belgium (PCB), parts of this history are still unknown, while others could benefit from a closer look. The first element to point out is how little we know of their mutual involvement before 1947. As a result, whereas in France surrealist cooperation with the Communist Party was over by the start of WWII, in Belgium the focus of attention has been on the years 1947 and beyond; according to our research, however, some essential steps unfolded before then, in particular between September 1945 and the legislative elections of February 1946. René Magritte’s attitude towards the Party has been seen as one of rapid disillusionment. He joined the PCB in September 1945, and his correspondence shows that a few months later already he considered his role as pointless. We wish to qualify somewhat this vision by highlighting the genuine attempt he and his friends made in 1945 to cooperate with the PCB, and understand the cause of this rapid despondency. Socialist realism was not imposed in Belgium before 1949, but 1947 was already marked by a hardening of the communist conception of art; by contrast, the period before that is seen as ‘pluralist’. If this chronology is exact, it appears nonetheless that this pluralism had its limits. After several months showing demonstrations of goodwill, the Party seems to have feared the association with the surrealists at the time of the crucial elections of February 1946. By contrast, soon after the communists were removed from the government in early 1947, the relationship with the surrealists was rekindled, particularly with those who were becoming surréalistes-révolutionnaires. Led by Christian Dotremont, this group placed politics at the heart of its objectives and found ways to create some concrete links, even after its French counterpart ceased its activities that were disregarded by the French Communist Party. It is only the abrupt imposition of socialist realism in October 1949 that put an end to this cooperation. Some topics of this chapter in history will be discussed in particular: first, the role of various exhibitions as markers of the relationship with the Party or as the source of changes in this relationship. Then, the timing of the Party for its cooperation with surrealists; is the ‘free’ artist used by the PCB only when it has nothing to lose? Lastly, we would like to highlight the different strategies used by the surrealists to cooperate with the PCB and the causes of their (mixed) achievements and (bitter) failures.