The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 31, 2026

A vertically oriented black-and-white photomontage depicts a passage between a wooden wall on our left and a metal fence on our right. In the foreground, a large doll faces away with arms raised. In the middle ground, a woman with a light skin tone and dark hair covers her face with both hands. She wears a long-sleeved top and a high-waisted checkered skirt, standing on the pavement beneath a bright, cloudy sky.

No. 24: Surprise

1949, printed probably 1970s

Grete Stern

(German, 1904–1999)
Argentina
gelatin silver print, photomontage
Image: 8.4 x 7.5 cm (3 5/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2023.157.24
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A key aspect of photomontage is the juxtaposition of elements that would not usually be found together.

Description

Grete Stern was commissioned to create the Dreams photomontages as photographic illustrations for a weekly column, “Psychoanalysis Will Help You,” in Idilio (Idyll), a pioneering Argentinian women’s magazine. Its readers submitted written descriptions of their dreams which were analyzed by two male intellectuals and illustrated by Stern. While incorporating some suggestions from two men, Stern often subverted their interpretations, substituting her own proto-feminist reactions to the dream narratives.
  • Grete Stern (the artist) [1904-1999], to Gerd Sander
    Gerd Sander [1940-2021]
    ?–2023
    (Galerie Julian Sander, Cologne, Germany), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 4, 2023–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=No. 24: Surprise|url=false|author=Grete Stern|year=1949, printed probably 1970s|access-date=31 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.157.24