Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings. 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 was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was, above all, a revolutionary movement. Surrealism developed largely out of the Dada activities during World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s onward, the movement 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, philosophy, and social theory.

The First International Conference of Revolutionary Surrealism in Brussels, Belgium in October 1947 was organized in dissatisfied response to Breton's occultism, to direct the movement back on a scientific and materialist foundation to make it more compatible with Communism. Revolutionary Surrealism, an offshoot movement, was meant to revitalize the original movement. Led by Noël Arnaud, they called themselves the Revolutionary Surrealists and published the Bulletin International du Surrealisme Revolutionnaire in 1948. Ultimately, this submovement was denounced by Breton.