The Surrealist journals Documents (1929–1930) and Minotaure (1933–1939) sought to overturn the eurocentric hegemony of art history, especially the notion that Greece had formed the original cradle of civilization. Due to close-knit linkages with anthropologists in these periodicals, the Surrealists’ understanding of indigenous art was far from superficial; nor was it limited to mere aesthetic borrowings, as presented in William Rubin’s controversial “Primitivism” exhibition of 1984. The diverse range of African sculptures in both French journals testify to a much wider influence upon Surrealist thought, often aligned with uneasy but core concepts of universality, freedom of the spirit, the occult, automatism and non-national limits. As such, the original use-value of sculptures within their indigenous African cultures will be interrogated beyond purely aesthetic concerns, rearticulated through the prism of core Surrealist ideas to delineate both genuine resonances and intentional deviations. Although the Surrealists attempted to attenuate the colonial legacy of Western art history, the movement seems to rest in a state of exception à propos the provenance of sculpture featured in their periodicals and personal collections. Indeed, Minotaure published Marcel Griaule’s Mission Dakar-Djibouti and its treasure-trove of looted African wares which would become the property of France. Ultimately, photomechanical reproduction of these sculptures did not satiate the colonial powers’ lust to possess, nor that of avant-garde collectors. The original, “auratic” object still reigned supreme, creating a troubled complicity between Surrealism and the ideology of colonialism that they vehemently protested against.

超现实主义期刊文件（1929年至1930年）和Minotaure（1933-1939）试图推翻以欧洲为中心的艺术史霸权，尤其是关于希腊已形成原始文明摇篮的观念。由于在这些期刊中与人类学家有着紧密的联系，超现实主义者对本土艺术的理解还远非肤浅。不仅限于美学借用，如威廉·鲁宾（William Rubin）1984年有争议的“ Primitivism”展览中所展示的那样。两种法国刊物上的非洲雕塑种类繁多，证明对超现实主义思想的影响更大，通常与不安但核心的观念相呼应。普遍性，精神自由，神秘，自动主义和非国家界限。这样一来，雕塑作品在非洲土著文化中的原始使用价值将受到质疑，而不仅仅是纯粹的美学关注，通过核心超现实主义思想的棱镜进行了重新排列，以描绘出真正的共鸣和故意的偏差。尽管超现实主义者试图减轻西方艺术历史的殖民遗产，但运动似乎处于一种例外状态à在期刊和个人收藏中推荐雕塑的出处。的确，Minotaure出版了Marcel Griaule的《达喀尔－吉布提任务》（Mission Dakar-Djibouti）及其掠夺的非洲商品宝库，这将成为法国的财产。最终，这些雕塑的光机械复制并没有满足殖民地大国的欲望，也没有满足前卫收藏家的欲望。原始的，“狂妄的”客体仍然占据上风，在超现实主义和他们强烈反对的殖民主义意识形态之间造成了麻烦的共谋。