Max Ernst and Alchemy: A Magician in Search of Myth

Surrealist artist Marx Ernst defined collage as the alchemy of the visual image. Students of his work have often dismissed this comment as simply a metaphor for the transformative power of using found images in a new context. Taking a wholly different perspective on Ernst and alchemy, however, the author persuasively demonstrates that the artist had a profound and abiding interest in alchemical philosophy and often used alchemical symbolism in works created throughout his career.