Georges Bataille (1897 – 1962, FR), philosopher, essayist

In his writings, Bataille brought together his various activities as a novelist, economist, philosopher and mystic. These were enriched by his complex treatment of images, most notably in his review Documents founded with other Surrealist dissidents. Later on, he founded a political group under the name of Contre-Attaque that united some former members of the Communist Circle with the Surrealist group, which he had been expelled from years earlier. He also founded two more groups that explored the combinations of power and the ‘sacred’ at work in society: the College of Sociology which gave lectures revealing the hidden undercurrents within a society on the verge of catastrophe and the secret society Acéphale. The cover of the journal also named Acéphale and formed by Bataille featured a headless male body drawn by André Masson with five-pointed stars in place of his nipples and a skull in place of his genitals. Despite their previous fallout, André Breton referenced Bataille in his review La Brèche (‘Action surréaliste’), which was published from 1961 to 1967.