After a childhood marked by frequent relocations, in 1904, the Magritte family settled in Châtelet, a town where René would later embark on a painting course in Félicien Defoin’s studio. Fascinated by figures like Zigomar, Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, and Nat Pinkerton, René’s interest in the world of film and photography blossomed at the Exposition Universelle de Charleroi in 1911. Following his mother’s tragic suicide in 1912, René and his two brothers were relocated to Charleroi in 1913 by their father Leopold Magritte. Despite the continued upheaval in his life, René managed to create his first painting in late 1914 and early 1915, depicting horses fleeing from a burning stable. The year 1915 also marked his relocation to Brussels, specifically to rue du Midi, in close proximity to the Academy of Fine Arts, which he initially attended as a free auditor.
In 1923, Magritte started working in graphic design, primarily focusing on wallpaper design. However, his artistic trajectory took a turn when he encountered the works of Giorgio de Chirico, which led him away from his earlier influences, such as Cubism and Futurism, and towards the burgeoning Surrealist movement. Two years later, in 1925, Magritte officially joined the Belgian Surrealist movement. One of his notable works from this period is “Le Jockey perdu.” In 1926, he crossed paths with André Breton, a leading figure in Surrealism, and the following year, Le Centaure Gallery in Brussels hosted his first solo exhibition, showcasing sixty of his works.
Between 1940 and 1947, Magritte relocated to Provence, specifically Carcassonne, with his wife, seeking refuge from the German occupation in Belgium. During this period, he ventured into a new style of painting, often described as the “solar” or “Renoir-style.” In 1966, he resumed his travels, spending time between Cannes, Montecatini, and Milan. However, his life was tragically cut short the following year due to sudden pancreatic cancer.
Magritte’s works are imbued with the concept of oneiric illusionism, a notion central to his artistic philosophy. He explores the space between an object and its representation, aiming to prompt viewers to reconsider the object as a tangible reality rather than merely accepting its abstract or arbitrary meaning. One of his most iconic paintings features a pipe with the inscription Ceci n’est pas un pipe (La Trahison des Images, 1928-29). Regarding this work, Magritte once remarked, “La fameuse pipe, me l’a-t-on assez reprochée! Et pourtant, pouvez-vous la bourrer ma pipe? Non, n’est-ce pas, elle n’est qu’une représentation. Donc si j’avais écrit sous mon tableau “Ceci est une pipe”, j’aurais menti!”
For Magritte, painting transcends mere representation of real objects; rather, it embodies the painter’s contemplation of those objects. His representational technique often appears neutral, even academic or scholastic, serving as a vehicle to underscore the unraveling of the relationship between things and reality. As a painter of the metaphysical and surreal, Magritte approached the obvious with corrosive humor, using it as a tool to subvert the seriousness inherent in conventional perceptions. He navigated between objects and their representations, seamlessly blending images and words. Rather than inventing new techniques, Magritte delved into the essence of things, employing painting as a conduit for a knowledge inseparable from mystery. In 2009, the Musée Magritte, housing the largest collection of the artist’s archival materials and works, opened its doors in Brussels. Additionally, numerous works are held in museum collections worldwide, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, MoMA New York, the National Gallery of Australia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and the Washington National Gallery.