The Oulipo was founded by Raymond Queneau, a former surrealist. Inspired by both historical constraint techniques, and avant-garde mathematician group Bourbaki, Queneau started the Oulipo.
You’re probably most familiar with Surrealism as a visual art medium. The name Salvador Dalí comes to mind, as does his most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory: clocks draped over trees, edges and indistinct objects.