Iván Tovar

For the first time ever, a monograph gathers the masterpieces of Dominican Surrealist Iván Tovar (1942–2020). Award-winning art writer Julie Belcove offers a thoughtful exploration of his life’s work, which has been exhibited worldwide—from Paris to New York City to his homeland, the Dominican Republic.

Iván Tovar was an artist of rare breadth and depth: a painter, sculptor, illustrator, poet, polymath, and polyglot. Today, he stands as the most sought-after Dominican artist on the international art market. Tovar’s art is distinctive and unforgettable, often featuring deep, nearly black backgrounds that reveal emblematic forms and creations—spheres, ovoids, and beasts. His geometric and organic motifs intertwine like actors on a stage, imbued with poetic ambiguity. Tovar’s revolutionary creations continue to inspire, standing as a lasting testament to his unique imagination.

This book, which brings together all of the artist’s masterpieces, is an open invitation to the world of dreams, and illustrates, in countless ways, the famous declaration by André Breton, the father of Surrealism: “I believe in the future resolution of these two states, dream and reality, which are seemingly so contradictory, into a kind of absolute reality, a surreality, if one may so speak.”

This project was made possible through collaboration with the Santo Domingo-based Fundación Iván Tovar (Iván Tovar Foundation).