Surrealism and architecture: the transatlantic dialogues between Ferdinand Cheval, Gabriel dos Santos and a few others

This article examines some elements of the complex and little-studied relationships between surrealism and architecture. Our methodology is bibliographical. After a briefintroduction to surrealism, we offer a quick overview of these relationships, which we organize into different approaches: criticism of existing architecture, the activities of surrealists (or close friends of surrealists) who were architects, the surrealists' poetic interpretations of elements of urban spaces, the architectures that the surrealists valued and liked, approaches that we illustrate with examples. We then focus in detail on two inspired figures who stood out for their spontaneous architectural practices—the Frenchman Ferdinand Cheval and his Ideal Palace, and the Brazilian Gabriel dos Santos and his Flower House—placing them in parallel and comparing them. Finally, we offer some reflections on their proximity to surrealist values.