René Magritte

1898-1967

While René Magritte's art may have been frowned upon by some, his skill as a painter found him many admirers. In the late 1940s, Magritte experimented with a different technique, which he premiered at an exhibition at the Galerie du Faubourg, in Paris. Of course, by then, his fans had grown accustomed to his previous style, and did not appreciate the new direction he was taking. Discouraged by horrible reviews, he returned to his trademark technique, a sad bit of irony, especially in light of Magritte's contempt for the nostalgic.

In later years, he was commissioned to create large canvasses for Edward James in London, and later on, he is hired to paint murals for the casino at Knokke-le-Zoute. In 1965, New York's Metropolitan Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art hold retrospectives of his work; alas, Magritte is in poor health, and exhausted from his travels. A year later, he spends Christmas and New Year's Eve in Cannes, with his beloved Georgette, and in 1967, he has a retrospective in Rotterdam, Holland, and an exhibit at the Iolas Gallery in Paris.

On August 15th, 1967, at the age of 69, Magritte dies in Brussels. Throughout his entire career, René Magritte had created over a thousand paintings, not to mention the numerous photographs, and essays which he published in art magazines. Like Salvador Dali, Magritte's work will forever come to mind when we hear the word "surreal".

"Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist."
Rene Magritte

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