Of all André Masson's paintings, Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants (1940) is the most famous. Close behind come Massacre (1932) and Children of the Islands (1926). Among the 273 works by André Masson in our catalogue, these 100 are the most celebrated, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated October 2026.
The canvas titled Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants was brought into being by the hand of André Masson. In 1940, the artist captured a vision of organic change, translating the concept of botanical transformation into a visual language. This work exists now within the walls of The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.
In "Will-o'-the-Wisp" by André Masson, a young girl in traditional folk attire occupies the center of a vertically oriented frame. She is a still point amidst a geometry of wood and light. The monochromatic palette strips the scene to essential shades of grey, black, and white. This lack of hue focuses the eye on the sharp lines of the window frames and the long, receding planks of the floorboards. The…
In the delicate interplay of shadow and line found within André Masson’s 1924 work, Guitar and Profile, we encounter a profound moment of artistic metamorphosis. This exquisite pencil…
Portrait of Curt Valentin: An Exploration of Expressionist Intensity Subject: This artwork presents a striking black and white portrait of Curt Valentin, a figure known for his influential…
A Descent into Myth: Exploring Masson's "Leda" André Masson’s 1947 work, “Leda,” is far more than a depiction of a classical myth; it's an intensely personal and psychologically…
The artwork is a black and white lithograph on paper depicting a woman in the process of giving birth. The woman is shown lying horizontally and appears to…
A Descent into Surrealist Psyche: Exploring André Masson's "Prisoner of the Mirror" André Masson’s 1939 drawing, “Prisoner of the Mirror: Transfiguring Your Death,” stands as a haunting testament…
The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 6 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by André Masson | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tate Modern |
London | 4 | Guitar and Profile, Childbirth |
 MOMA - Museum of Modern Art |
New York City | 5 | Prisoner of the Mirror: Transfiguring Your Death |
 Israel Museum |
Jerusalem | 2 | Triangle Ruler (L'equerre) |
 The Phillips Collection |
Washington, D.C. | 1 | Will-o'-the-Wisp |
 Art Institute of Chicago |
Chicago | 1 | The Figure |
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 1 | Automatic drawing 03 |
The canvas titled Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants was brought into being by the hand of André Masson. In 1940, the artist captured a vision of organic…
Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants (1940), followed by Massacre (1932) and Children of the Islands (1926).
André Masson, born in 1896, was 44 years old: Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants dates from 1940.
Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants, Massacre, Children of the Islands, Portrait of Emily Brontë, Portrait of the poet Kleist, Meditation on an Oak Leaf, Will-o'-the-Wisp, Landscape with Rocks, The horses of Diomedes and Seeded Earth. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
273 works by André Masson are in our catalogue, dated 1919 to 1975.
Mostly in Tate Modern (London), MOMA - Museum of Modern Art (New York City) and Israel Museum (Jerusalem); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1920s, which gave 36 of the 100 works on this page, Children of the Islands among them.
The earliest canvas here is The Capuchin monastery in Ceret (1919); the latest is Fruits devastating (1975).
Portraits (10), Arts (10) and Violence (4), across the 100 works on this page.
Surrealism, as the canvases on this page show.
The Tate Modern, London holds 2 of the works on this page, among them Guitar and Profile and Childbirth.
