Since its founding, the DFK Paris has upheld research on Surrealism as among its central commitments. Over the years, and from the strong ties between art-historical research and curatorial practice, a multitude of projects have resulted: exhibitions, artist monographs, thematic and collective publications, workshops, and international conferences and excursions, along with essential contributions to catalogues raisonnés – particularly that of the work of Max Ernst.

Over time, this broad-based research effort has produced robust networks involving national and international institutions. These include universities such as the Sorbonne Nouvelle, the Université Lyon-Saint-Étienne, Paris Nanterre, the universities of Leipzig and Gießen, and the Edinburgh College of Art, in addition to centres like the Getty Research Institute. Bolstering these academic partnerships are others with renowned museums, e.g., the Fondation Beyeler (Riehen/Basel), the Albertina (Vienna), the Musée d’Orsay (Paris), the Max Ernst Museum des LVR (Brühl), the Moderna Museet (Stockholm), and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Humblebæk). At the DFK Paris, another important stimulus for the study of Surrealism comes from close collaboration with professional associations globally – whether the TIAMSA (The International Art Market Studies Association), the Association Atelier André Breton, the Centre International du Surréalisme et de la Citoyenneté Mondiale in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, or the International Society for the Study of Surrealism (ISSS). Recently, the growing internationalization of research allowed for the co-organization of the 6th International Congress of Surrealisms (Paris 2024) among the ISSS, the American University of Paris, the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and the Université Lyon-Saint-Étienne.