At MoMA, the book becomes a Surrealist object

The presentation draws on the Helen and Sam Zell Collection, a recent gift to MoMA, with work by artists including André Breton, Claude Cahun, Max Ernst, Toyen and Unica Zürn. Its scope reaches from the 1920s into the 1950s and 1960s. Unusual papers, sculptural bindings, sketchbooks and preparatory models make this more than an exhibition of illustrations.

That distinction is a useful starting point for a visit. Before reading a label, notice what the object asks a reader to do. Does its construction suggest an ordinary sequence of pages, or something less settled? Consider the relationship between the words, the image and the thing that holds them together. A book can organize an experience as decisively as a room.

For a companionable afternoon, each choose one object whose form changes how you understand its purpose. Compare the choices afterward. This gives the conversation a little structure without requiring either person to arrive fluent in the movement’s history. The exhibition can be an introduction to those questions as readily as a return to familiar artists.

Keep the museum itinerary selective. Pairing this show with one other gallery leaves space to consider the difference between reading an object and looking at an image. Resist turning a focused exhibition into an obligation to cover every floor. A smaller plan is easier to discuss, and easier to remember.

MoMA lists Saturday and Sunday hours of 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with galleries closing approximately 15 minutes before the building. Adult admission is $30 and includes special exhibitions; children 16 and younger enter free. Use the museum’s visitor page to confirm the date and ticket terms before traveling.

The practical plan is simple: reserve the visit, begin with the exhibition and leave the next appointment loose. The reward of this particular museum stop is the chance to attend closely to a familiar object. A book’s edges, paper and binding deserve some of the attention usually reserved for its contents.