The fertile dialogue that ensued marked a decisive turning point in the decompartmentalisation of disciplines. It was supported by avant-garde magazines, in particular Cahiers d'art (1926–1965), Minotaure (1933–1939), and Documents (1929–1930).

With each new issue, these periodicals challenged the academic framework. Putting photographic reproductions of ancient, modern and non-European works into dialogue allows us to escape from the authority of classical art history, to question established values and give rise to new meanings.

Pablo Picasso, Georges Henri and Thérèse Rivière, André Breton, Michel Leiris, Charles Ratton, Joan Miró, Brassaï and Georges Bataille were all among the contributors to these magazines. They all share a common interest in art from the distant past, non-Western art, as well as popular and everyday art. Their experimental approach gives rise to a new perception of objects, places, and times. They challenge the very concept of the museum by asking these simple but daunting questions: what is the object; what is art? What makes an object into a work of art?