Magritte

(Hardback)

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Magritte is published in association with a major survey of the work of the pioneering Belgian surrealist artist at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

Ren Magritte (1948-1967) is renowned for his thought-provoking and enigmatic paintings that challenge the viewer's perception of reality. His exploration of the subconscious and the juxtaposition of ordinary objects in surreal contexts have left an indelible mark on the art world, influencing generations of artists and thinkers.

The exhibition is the first Magritte retrospective to be presented in Australia and includes approximately 100 artworks drawn from public and private collections in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. The accompanying book provides an engaging, accessible and in-depth survey of Magritte's practice, giving audiences insights into the evolution of his art from the early 1920s until his final works of the 1960s.

The book features reproductions of the 100+ works in the exhibition alongside rarely seen archival materials, commercial work and photography. The images are accompanied by four essays and an interview with Magritte (originally recorded for Belgian television in 1965), which together offer nuanced perspectives on the aesthetic foundations of his work while also considering the social and artistic context for his practice.

An essay by the curator of Magritte, Nicholas Chambers, leads us through the arc of the exhibition, revealing the artist's extraordinary capacity for innovation and reinvention. Xavier Cannone, an expert on Belgian surrealism, focuses on the artist's milieux during the formative period of the 1920s. Natalie Dupcher, associate curator of modern art at the Menil Collection in Houston, picks up the story in the 1930s and considers the reception and promotion of Magritte's art outside of Europe. And Belgian art historian Julie Wasseige reflects on a key, underlying theme of the artist's practice: his remarkable use of humour. Additionally, an extensive illustrated chronology compiled by Tai Spruyt charts the artist's eventful life and career.

Author Bio

Nicholas Chambers (ed) is senior curator of modern and contemporary international art at the
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. His exhibitions and associated publications at the Art Gallery include Hilma af Klint: the secret paintings (2021), Adman: Warhol before pop (2018) and Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection (2016). Chambers has previously been the Milton Fine Curator of Art at the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; adjunct professor in the art history department at the University of Pittsburgh; and curator of contemporary international art at the Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. He has organised numerous exhibitions and contributed to publications for museums in Australia, Asia and North America.

Xavier Canonne is director of the Museum of Photography in Charleroi and is a prominent art historian at the Universit libre de Bruxelles. He holds a PhD in Art History and Archaeology from the Sorbonne, focusing on surrealism in Belgium from 1950 to 1993, and has been the editor of Mares de la Nuit, a publication specialising in surrealism and the avant-garde, since 1986. He has curated numerous exhibitions, notably Surrealism in Belgium (Fine Arts Museum, Mons, 2007), and has published extensively, including Surrealism in Belgium 1924-2000 (Mercatorfonds, Brussels, 2006) and Ren Magritte: the revealing image (Ludion, Brussels, 2017).

Natalie Dupcher is the associate curator of modern art at the Menil Collection, Houston, where she oversees the museum's landmark holdings of historical surrealist art, in addition to mounting temporary exhibitions. She recently curated Janet Sobel: All-Over (2024) and Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition (2021-23), which was co-organised by the Menil Collection, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Kunstmuseum Bern. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and a master's degree from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

Julie Waseige is an art historian and graduate of the Universit libre de Bruxelles, specialising in surrealism in Belgium. From 2013 to 2016, she worked as a researcher at the Magritte Museum in Brussels. She has written books about Ren Magritte and curated international exhibitions including Magritte: Life Line (MASI, Lugano; Amos Rex, Helsinki, 2018-19) and Magritte: A Lab of Ideas, (Nordic Watercolour Museum, Skrhamn, 2022). Between May 2019 and June 2020, she was named the scientific director of the Marcel Marin Foundation. She was also a historical consultant for the documentary Ren Magritte: the master of mystery (Seven Doc Productions, France, 2023).

Tai Spruyt is assistant curator of international art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.