KMSKA LAAT - film screening Guillaume Bijl

In this French medieval village in the Lot Valley, Breton purchased a house in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in 1950. It was recently renovated, renamed Maison André Breton, and now houses the Centre International du Surréalisme et de la Citoyenneté Mondiale (CISCM).

In short, staged tableaux vivants, the film depicts a series of moments with artist friends whom Breton invited to the village. Max Ernst, Man Ray, Dorothea Tanning, Meret Oppenheim, Benjamin Péret, and Toyen make appearances. They enjoy an evening stroll, dine in the garden, and pose for a group portrait. The carefree nature of these scenes stands in stark contrast to the two World Wars the artists had recently lived through.

The film follows a similar artistic logic to Bijl’s earlier film James Ensor in Ostend, ca. 1920 (2000), in which Ensor and several friends spend a carefree day at the seaside. Whereas Ensor in that film is portrayed by a look-alike, for André Breton et ses amis à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie Bijl cast fellow artists chosen for their strong resemblance to the original surrealist figures.

All scenes in the film are based on historical photographs, film footage, and testimonies—ranging from the memories of local residents who saw Breton wandering through the streets to Breton’s own writings.

As is characteristic of Bijl’s artistic practice, the film plays with the boundaries between fact and fiction, historical document and staging, triviality and critical reflection.

The film is a co-production with Radicale1924. This residency project for contemporary artists in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was founded in 2021 by Chantal Yzermans. Bijl was closely involved from its inception as a participating artist. The film was shot two weeks after the death of Guillaume Bijl (1946–2025).

On the occasion of the exhibition Magritte. La ligne de vie, KMSKA is organizing this film screening.

Image credits: André Breton et ses amis à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Guillaume Bijl, 2025.