Among the first Surrealist artists, Andre Masson was born in Balagny, a small town in France, in 1896. After studying at l'Academie des Beaux Arts in Brussels, he moved to Paris to work in the atelier of Paul Baudouin, who taught fresco painting at l'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts. In 1924, he had his first exhibition at Daniel Kahnweiler's Galerie Simon and met Andre Breton who bought one of his paintings and invited him to join the Surrealists.

In 1935, he had his first New York show. Along with Leonor Fini, Salvador Dali and other noted Surrealists, he participated in the 1937 exhibition, "Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism," at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The following year, his works were shown in the International Surrealist exhibit at Galerie des Beaux Arts in Paris. During World War II, he moved to the United States; the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted his first major museum show in 1941. After the war, he returned to Paris.

In 1977, Masson was one of eight internationally known artists commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Association to create limited edition graphics and fine art posters depicting great operas for the Metropolitan Opera Fine Art Portfolio, published by Circle Fine Art. Andre Masson is generally regarded today as one of the world's most important artists.

Among the many prestigious galleries and museums which have presented retrospective exhibits of his works of art are the Albertina, Vienna (graphics retrospective); Academy of the Arts, Berlin; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Museé National d'Art Moderne, Paris; Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Modern Art, New York. Museum collections include Baltimore Museum of Art; Musee des Beaux Arts, Berne; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.