Orpheus (Orphée)

1934

Marries Rose Maklès

Masson meets and marries Rose Maklès, the sister of Sylvia Bataille, who was married to Georges Bataille (she would later marry Jacques Lacan). Lacan, the last private owner of Courbet's “The Origin of the World”, asked his brother-in-law to paint a surrealist variant of the painting.

1934–1936

Leaves for Spain to escape the unrest in Paris

The Massons leave Paris to escape the violence that culminated in the riots of 6 February 1934 and settle in Tossa de Mar, a small fishing village on the Costa Brava, where their two sons, Diego and Luis, are born.

1936–1939

Draws the cover and images for “Acéphale”

Masson draws the cover of the first issue of Georges Bataille's review “Acéphale” in 1936 and produces the images for all its issues until 1939.

c. 1940

Escapes the Nazis with Varian Fry's help

The Nazis condemned Masson's work as degenerate; with the assistance of Varian Fry in Marseille he escapes on a ship to the island of Martinique and from there to the United States. On arrival in New York customs officials find a cache of his erotic drawings in his luggage.

1940–1945

Years in the United States: New Preston, Connecticut

Masson lives in New Preston, Connecticut; in exile he influences the development of the New York School and Abstract Expressionism, most notably Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky.

1945

Returns to France and settles in Aix

After the war Masson returns to France and settles in Aix-en-Provence, where he paints a number of landscapes; he continues to work in the theatre and in book illustration.