With Europe engulfed in World War II, exiled surrealists gathered in New York City for the 'First Papers of Surrealism' exhibition, designed by Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp filled the mansion interior with a massive, labyrinthine web of sixteen miles of white twine, deliberately obstructing the view of the paintings and forcing visitors to navigate a chaotic, physical obstacle course. This structural intervention mirrored the psychological displacement and fractured reality experienced by European artists fleeing totalitarian violence.

This exhibition transplanted the center of gravity of the avant-garde from Paris to New York, directly inspiring the next generation of American poets. It laid the groundwork for the New York School of poetry (Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery), who adapted this playful, labyrinthine dream-logic to the frantic pace of post-war American life.