Echo is the first exhibition at Frey Norris Gallery to exhibit the important Surrealist masterworks in the gallery's Annex alongside artwork from the contemporary gallery. We have suggested a painting or sculpture by eight important Surrealists to eight of our Bay Area artists and asked them to respond or invent around the resonances between their own interests and the content and ideas in the historical piece. The result will be pairings, one historical with one new piece, that synthesize art from 1939 to 2009. This project highlights the often misunderstood or overlooked ideas of the historical artists, demonstrating their foresight in creating art that projects a timeless power and mystery. Similarly, the pairings present contemporary artists with a challenge, creating a bridge that will measure their visions against artwork by some of the most storied artists of the last century.

Participating San Francisco Bay Area artists are Susannah Bettag, Kate Eric, Rodney Ewing, Michal Gavish, Joshua Hagler, Dana Harel, Hayv Kahraman and Mary Anne Kluth. These will appear with Surrealist artworks by Leonora Carrington, Max Ernst, Leonor Fini, Gunther Gerszo, Wilfredo Lam, Wolfgang Paalen, Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo. A wide range of objects, including paintings, drawings and mixed media sculptures will be included in the exhibition.