André Masson's most famous painting is Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants (1940). With Massacre (1932) and Children of the Islands (1926), it completes the three works everyone recognises. Our catalogue lists 273 works by André Masson; the 100 below are the ones the world looks at most, each with its year, the museum that holds it and why it matters.
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 among these masterpieces, with the finest example of each.
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). Next come Massacre (1932) and Children of the Islands (1926).
44 years old: Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants dates from 1940 and André Masson was born in 1896.
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. The ranking above gives the year and the museum of each.
Our catalogue lists 273 works by André Masson, dated from 1919 to 1975.
Most of them are in Tate Modern (London), MOMA - Museum of Modern Art (New York City) and Israel Museum (Jerusalem). The table above lists the museums one by one.
In 1920s: 36 of the 100 works on this page date from then, among them Children of the Islands.
The earliest on this page is The Capuchin monastery in Ceret (1919), the latest Fruits devastating (1975).
Portraits (10), Arts (10) and Violence (4), among the 100 works on this page.
Surrealism, as the paintings on this page show.
Guitar and Profile and Childbirth are among the 2 works on this page held by the Tate Modern, London.
