MASSILIA

In 1941 André Breton and a group of Surrealist artists (Wifredo Lam, Max Ernst, Jacqueline Lamba, Oscar Dominguez, Victor Brauner, Jacques Hérold, André Masson and Frédéric Delanglade) were stranded in the French port of Marseilles whilst attempting to escape Nazi-occupied Europe and gain passage to America. Having deconstructed traditional, bourgeois playing card symbolism they produced new, liberated designs expressing their own beliefs and values. The court cards were persons representing new, revolutionary ideals. The conventional courts were re-named Genius, Siren and Magus. The suits are: Locks (Black) to represent knowledge; Stars (Black) dreams; Wheels (Red) revolution and Flames (Red) love.

This edition is NOT a mere copy of the original artwork of the Surrealists. It is the result of a long process. All paintings have been re-drawn and recolored by hand. They have been completed in order to constitute a full 52-card deck. The joker, the back of the cards and the illustration of the box are also derived from the drawings and paintings left by the group of Surrealist artists.

This edition is also DIFFERENT from the "modernized" edition made in 1983 which can be found on some merchant websites on the Internet at a very high price (often more than $100) and which lacks the charm of the original project.

This edition is a unique adaptation of an historical deck.