= The Rothschild Surrealist Ball
If there is one “party” (more like a ball with dress code: "Black Tie, Long Dresses, and Surrealist Heads.") that we wish we would have attended it would be the inimitable ‘Bal Surréaliste’ of the Rothschilds.
The ball took place on December 12th of 1972 and it was hosted by Baroness Marie-Hélène Naila Stephanie Josina van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar and her husband-and third cousin- Guy de Rothschild at Château de Ferrières in the outskirts of Paris.
The invitation was a cut out of a sky painting by Magritte and written backwards so that it could only be read in front of a mirror. The invitations were not just playful but also symbolic of surrealism's interest in duality, hidden meanings, and altered perceptions of reality.
Château de Ferrières was floodlit with moving orange lights to give the impression that it was on fire. It was likely inspired by René Magritte's "Empire of Light" series, where day and night coexist. A dark, nocturnal scene is set against a pastel-blue, light-drenched sky spotted with fluffy cumulus clouds. Probably the reason why guests arrived before the sun was set.
As the guests ascended the staircase they were greeted by the Château’s personnel dressed like cats, pawing at each other and pretending to be asleep.
Only to enter a dark maze filled with black ribbons to resemble a thick cobweb. Occasionally, some of the 'cats' would reappear, pawing and purring as they guided the guests through the maze, offering directions to those struggling to reach their final destination—the ballroom. Successfully blurring the lines between guide and obstacle, adding yet another layer of disorientation.
They were greeted by Marie-Hélène and Guy (wearing a fur hat with a headdress on top of it that represented a still-life arrangement with a stuffed pheasant and pheasant skeleton on a huge platter) while a concealed pianist was playing Erik Satie.
As the time for dinner arrived, the guests were given cards indicating their tables: the table of Dissection-Umbrella, Erection Machine, the table of the Dethroned Queens, the Metaphysical Perspective table, the table of the Shoes Fit to be Tied, the Soluble Fish table… but this gave them no indication of where to go. So the guests wandered in disarray, guided by butlers in top hats and carnations in their buttonholes, whose mission was to solve these puzzles and finally lead them to their places.
Each table was covered with a tablecloth depicting the sky, inspired by Magritte, and featured a centerpiece inspired by a surrealist painter or poet. For instance, on the table entitled 'Eggs à la Florentine,' there was a mound of cooked spinach, pierced by the carcass of a giant bird and garnished with women's breasts.
The table setting included:
A fur-covered plate
A place card: a square of sky held between the ruby-red lips of Mae West
A pale blue dinner roll--the famous pain peint (the two words are pronounced the same in French, their literal translation being "painted bread")
A wine glass with the label vin vain (another play on words, since these two are also pronounced alike, and it means "vain wine")
A bubble-blower
A menu
The Menu
Les choses dégoulinantes (the dripping things)
Beaucoup de Brie pour rien (a lot of brie for nothing)
Soupe extra Lucide (Extra-Lucid Soup)
Imbroglio de Cadavere Exquis (Imbroglio Confusion of Exquisite Cadavers)
Lady and Sir Loin
Tubercules en Folie (Crazy Tubers)
L’es-tu (Are you?)
Pêches et Chêvres hurlant de Tristesse (Peaches and goat cheese howling in sadness)
En Fin! or Dessert des Tartares (dessert of the Tartars - the barbarians)
Salvador Dalí, holding a laser and an automatically folding and unfolding umbrella, arrived in a wheelchair with his wife Gala and two “nurses”, his masseuse and his muse Amanda, dressed up in a jawbone.
The Rothschild Surrealist Ball was not just a party but a fully immersive surrealist experience, where every element—from the invitations to the décor and interactions—was a carefully curated puzzle. Each detail, no matter how small, invited reflection, provoked discomfort, or delighted in absurdity, making the event unforgettable and enigmatic.