René Magritte

(Belgian, 1898 - 1967)

“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.”
— Rene Magritte

The Belgian Surrealist master René François Ghislain Magritte was one of the prominent, and most mysterious, figures of the Surrealist movement. His fascinating, witty, and thought-provoking imagery has had a massive impact with an enduring legacy not only in regards to art, but to culture in general. His unforgettable, poetic, and often puzzling paintings create mesmerizing experiences for viewers, and have historically contributed to shaping Pop, Conceptual, and Minimalist art. Corporate popular culture has appropriated and reproduced iconic elements of his work, like the green apple, probably more than any other twentieth century artist.

Magritte used familiar items in unusual settings to create new meanings, questions, and experiences. He loved to stimulate and confuse his audience. Out of his prolific body of work, one of his most recognizable pieces is Treachery of Images, which simply shows a pipe in the manner of a tobacco store advertisement. Text painted below the pipe reads “Ceci n'est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe), which seems at first seems contradiction but is in fact accurate. The painting is not a pipe; it is an image of a pipe. Magritte once responded to someone that of course it was not a pipe, telling them to just try to fill it with tobacco. We never do create the item itself in painting, no matter how naturalistically we depict an object. Such cerebral games were a common theme in Magritte's later work. He has a tendency to point to mystery and the unknowable, and communicate a dream-like or illusion-type quality. He created a new aesthetic, inventing new understandings of established symbols and making pioneering statements on the nature of painting.

He was the eldest of a milliner and a tailor, Régina and Léopold Magritte, born in Belgium, in 1898. His childhood was rough; the family moved a lot, and his mother eventually succeeded in her attempts to commit suicide, drowning in the river when he was 13. He would use art forms, specifically painting, films, and novels, to search for some peace from the tragedy. From 1916 to 1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts located in Brussels, but wasn’t satisfied with the institution. Still, the school exposed him to new art styles such as Cubism and Futurism that ultimately affected his work. Magritte completed a year of military service in 1921, and then returned home and married Georgette Berger, a beauty whom he had known since childhood and with whom he would spend most of his life. Georgette, who also studied art, was his wife, muse, and model. Magritte worked at a wallpaper factory, then as a freelance poster and advertisement designer, but was always painting on the side. He progressed professionally, signing a contract with a gallery and producing famous works, but still lacked financial success. The couple moved to Paris around 1928, where Magritte fell in with the Surrealists, becoming a leader of the group. He exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris in 1929, with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso, and Yves Tanguy. After living in Paris for three years, he and Georgette moved back to Brussels, and interest in his paintings continued to grow. As his popularity increased, Magritte presented in all of the important exhibitions of Surrealist art in the 1930s.

The onset of World War II contributed to darker works from Magritte as the burden of violence and suffering weighed upon him. During WWII, he remained in Brussels in German-occupied Belgium. Around 1943, his pieces showed a shift towards positivity with brighter colors and a more Impressionistic style rather than his previously unrestrained chaotic Surrealism. His style was painterly and colorful during his Renoir period from 1943-47. The Son of Man (1946) was the first in which he included the famous green apple. In 1947 and ‘48, Magritte was in his Vache Period and used a more provocative and crude Fauve approach before returning to his signature style. In 1948, he finally had his first solo exhibition in Paris. The 1940s were a hard time financially for him, and according to close friend Marcel Mariën’s later autobiography, during this time, Magritte was also forging copies of works by Picasso, Titian, de Chirico, Max Ernst, himself, and others for the money. Although he said this after the artist had died, Georgette took Mariën to court to contest it. While the true extent of this activity has not been verified, there is some proof for some of Mariën’s claims. Interestingly, forgery itself is a common theme within Surrealist art, and these actions may show a related sense of humor and subversiveness on Magritte’s part. In the 1950s, a casino on the Belgian coast commissioned a series of murals, titled The Enchanted Domain. Other commissions followed around Belgium, and more exhibitions in Brussels and in New York, and Magritte’s quality of life improved significantly with the increased income. Now an acclaimed artist, his reputation rose even more substantially in the 1960s.

Magritte’s personal life also had points of interest. Many books have been written about his life and his work. He joined the Communist Party for the first time in 1932, which he would leave and rejoin again multiple times over the years. In 1936, Magritte met Sheila Legge, and began an affair with her. Legge was a young Surrealist model and groupie, known for being her role as the “Surrealist Phantom,” posing for Dali and others, and was one of the most photographed Surrealist women at the time. Trying not to hurt Georgette, Magritte sent his friend, Paul Colinet to spend time with her, which led to Paul and Georgette having their own affair, and Georgette eventually asking Rene for a divorce. They managed to reconcile, however, in 1940.

In 1963, Magritte discovered he had pancreatic cancer, which would eventually take his life. He traveled for several years, including to New York for a retrospective in 1965, and continued to explore other media - including sculpture and film featuring Georgette. In August of 1967, the artist died at age 68. His contributions have proven influential around the world, inspiring his contemporaries and future movements, including major pop artists Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, and Roy Lichtenstein. Countless exhibitions worldwide have featured his work. The Magritte Museum was opened in Brussels in 2009. Magritte was truly one of the great artists of our time and his pieces will continue to be celebrated for years to come.

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