This focused selection of works from WCMA’s collection features that of Yves Tanguy (French, 1900–1955), Giorgio de Chirico (Italian, 1888–1978), Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983), and Roberto Matta (Chilean, 1911–2002).

Shortly after Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy wed in 1940, they relocated from New York City to Woodbury, Connecticut. The couple adorned the walls of their home with the six works included here.

In 1955, Tanguy’s unexpected death devastated Sage, eventually contributing to her suicide in 1963. In her will, Sage bequeathed her collection to “museums located in the United States.” Her executor, gallerist Pierre Matisse, sought the assistance of James Thrall Soby, a Williams College alumnus and friend of Sage. Soby facilitated the gift of a number of paintings and drawings go to WCMA, making it a significant repository of Sage’s estate.