The last time I was in Paris there was a Max Ernst exhibition at the centre Georges Pompidou. Unfortunately, cameras were banned, hence the lack of illustrations. Actually, that is not entirely true. Cameras were allowed in, one just was not allowed to take pictures. So I snapped some surreptitious shots, but didn't feel like cheesing someone off by putting them on the web.

    Max Ernst is a well known painter / sculptor and dead. His paintings are sort of mediocre surrealism. His sculpture, by contrast is really cool. There are four main strands to his sculpting which is often based on primitive African / South American stuff.
    Fried Eggs. Usually, the eyes of his sculptures look like fried eggs. Occasionally, thin horizontal eyes are used instead, but this is to demonstrate versatility rather than for any artistic end.
    Kebab. Max was also inspired by kebab meat, like that found in most kebab restaurants / vans.
    Cone Heads. Sculptures in which the head takes a cone shape. Max used these conical crania to contain (and conceal) compromised cerebella.
    Square Heads. Sculptures in which the head takes a square shape. It is currently unknown why Mr Ernst used this shape of head in many of his most famous works.

    (Mr Ernst's flathead works are redolent of the traditional sculptures of Benin and Western Nigeria. The use of copper would seem to reinforce this view. Further in support of this argument is the recurrence of shell motifs in many of Ernst's plastic works. Although a well known surrealist and more general artistic motif. The Shell in this West African context can have only one meaning. Ernst has compromised himself to the forces of international capitalism.)