René Magritte

About the artist

René Magritte was a renowned Belgian surrealist artist, celebrated for his thought-provoking and often witty depictions of ordinary objects in unusual contexts.

René François Ghislain Magritte was born on November 21, 1898, in Lessines, Belgium. His mother, Régina, committed suicide by drowning in the River Sambre when Magritte was just 13 years old. This traumatic event influenced some of his later works, particularly those featuring obscured faces.

Magritte began drawing lessons in 1910 and later studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels from 1916 to 1918. His early paintings were impressionistic, but he soon moved towards Futurism and Cubism before finding his unique surrealist style.

Magritte became a leading figure in the Surrealist movement, known for his illusionistic, dream-like quality of work. Some of his most famous paintings include:

The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe), which challenges the viewer’s perception of reality.

The Son of Man, features a man in a bowler hat with an apple obscuring his face.

The Human Condition, which explores the relationship between reality and representation.

His imagery has influenced various art movements, including pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art. Artists like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns have drawn inspiration from his work.

René Magritte passed away on August 15, 1967, in Brussels, Belgium. His work continues to be celebrated for its cleverness and ability to provoke thought about the nature of reality and art.