“Mystical Symbolism: The Salon de la Rose+Croix in Paris, 1892–1897”

With its dreamlike, visionary imagery, Symbolism is often cited as a precursor to Surrealism. But while the Surrealists trafficked in the temporal and psychological discordances of modern life, Symbolists latched onto religious, mythological and mystical sources from the past. This exhibition looks back at a series of Symbolist salons organized between 1892 and 1897 by Joséphin Péladan, an author, critic and Rosicrucian, whose own mystical bent informed these shows.