Weinstein Gallery is pleased to present WOLFGANG PAALEN - SCENES FOR A SORCERER. This comprehensive exhibition features over thirty-five works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures spanning the artist’s four-decade career from 1927 – 1958.

Wolfgang Paalen (1905-1959) was a prominent Austrian-born artist, writer, and philosopher known for his influential contributions to the Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist movements. Born in Vienna, Paalen's early exposure to the city's rich artistic and intellectual environment fueled his interest in avant-garde ideas. He initially aligned himself with the Abstract-Creationists, then joined the Surrealist movement in 1935, actively participating in exhibitions and publishing articles in their journals. In 1942, Paalen lived in exile in Mexico City, where he established the pivotal artistic and theoretical magazine "Dyn." Through this publication, he introduced his revolutionary ideas to a global audience, advocating for a synthesis of modern art, anthropology, and the cosmos. The magazine served as a forum for groundbreaking discussions on subjects ranging from abstract art and primitivism to the philosophy of aesthetics. Paalen's editorship of "Dyn" further solidified his reputation as a trailblazing thinker within the art world. In 1950, Paalen established, with Gordon Onslow Ford and Lee Mullican, the Dynaton movement, which sought to create a bridge between abstraction and the spiritual. This movement emphasized the interplay between science, mysticism, and art, embracing a holistic approach beyond conventional artistic boundaries. His innovative theories on art's connection to the cosmos, as well as his creation of the automatic technique fumage, greatly influenced subsequent generations of artists, particularly in New York including Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Gerome Kamrowski, William Baziotes, and Jackson Pollock. The exhibition invites the viewer to experience the intersection of Paalen's artistic ingenuity and his philosophical inquiry. It challenges us to examine the profound interconnectedness of artistic expression and the enigma of human cognition. Paalen beckons us to voyage into his creative cosmos, inviting us to emerge with renewed perspectives on art, philosophy, and the indefatigable mysteries of existence.