Rene Magritte

About me
Services

Art valuation

Professional market valuation

Museum / exhibition cooperation

Exhibitions and curatorship

Private sales

Discreet transactions

Investment advisory

Art as an investment

Art collection management

Collection care

Custom purchases

Art for clients

Art sales / purchase

Art trading

Auction representation

Purchases and auctions

Design

Art in interiors - hotels, residences, facilities

Art promoter

Artworks for spaces

Research

Authenticity verification

Art rental

Art leasing
Artists

Andy Warhol

USA

Vincent van Gogh

Netherlands

Rembrandt van Rijn

Netherlands

Wojciech Fangor

Poland

Pablo Picasso

Spain

Paul Cézanne

France

See all
Contact

My Account

0 My Account

Expert portrait of the artist
Biography
Awards
Art works

René Magritte (1898–1967)
The philosopher with a brush – painter of mystery in an everyday bowler hat.

Style: Intellectual surrealism. He combined ordinary objects in extraordinary relationships – an apple covering a face, a pipe that “is not a pipe” (Ceci n’est pas une pipe).
Technique: Painted with precision and realism – in contrast to his bizarre subjects. A kind of “photorealism of the absurd.”
Life: Modest and quiet, he lived in Brussels. Unlike Salvador Dalí’s flamboyance, Magritte offered a cool, conceptual play with reality.
For today: Magritte is a master of context. His work resonates perfectly in the era of fake news, deepfakes, and post-truth – asking: what does it mean to “see” and to “know”?

Biography

René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist renowned for depicting ordinary objects in unusual and thought-provoking settings. His art questions reality and representation, influencing pop art, minimalist and conceptual art. His famous works include 'The Treachery of Images', 'The Son of Man', and 'The Human Condition'.

Early Life and Education

Born as René François Ghislain Magritte in Belgium, he suffered the early loss of his mother. He studied at Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, initially painting in Impressionist and Cubist styles before developing a surrealist approach inspired by Giorgio de Chirico.

Surrealism and Early Career

Magritte moved to Paris, befriended André Breton and became a leading surrealist. His first major surrealist paintings appeared in the late 1920s. Financial challenges led him to work in advertising in Brussels, yet he continued producing groundbreaking surrealist art.

Artistic Development and Style

He is known for thought-provoking juxtapositions and use of irony, exemplified in 'This is not a pipe'. Magritte's work combines the ordinary with the mysterious, using clear representational images to evoke existential questions on perception and reality.

Later Years and Major Works

Magritte's late work included both playful and philosophical paintings, incorporating recurring motifs like faceless figures, obscured faces, and windows as metaphors. He created many notable works such as 'Golconda' and 'The Empire of Light'.

Nationality

Belgian

Themes

Surrealism, familiar objects depicted in unfamiliar contexts, reality and representation, mystery, illusion, poetic imagery

Magritte achieved critical acclaim as a pioneering surrealist and has posthumously received numerous honors recognizing his impact on modern art.

1927
First Solo Exhibition

Held in Brussels, marking the start of his professional recognition despite initial poor reviews.
1936
American Solo Exhibition

Debuted in New York at Julien Levy Gallery, expanding his international presence.
1950s
Cultural Impact Grows

Magritte's imagery began influencing pop art and conceptual art globally.
2009
Magritte Museum Opens

In Brussels, housing around 200 original works and preserving his artistic heritage.