Born November 21, 1898, René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist. Gaining recognition and exposure for his out of the box artistic style, Magritte claimed his goal was to challenge the viewer’s perception of reality and their surroundings. Born in Lessines in Hainaut, Belgium, Magritte was the oldest child of Léopold and Régina Magritte. Although little is known about Magritte’s childhood and early life, it is known that he began drawing lessons at the age of 12. He then later attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels where his earliest works included much impressionism and were said to be influenced by Cubism and Futurism.
(Les Amants, 1928)
Much of the later work of Magritte was surrealism. Magritte frequently painted ordinary objects in unfamiliar surroundings. Many claim he wished to create poetry through paint and display thought-provoking images to change the perception of daily, ordinary objects, lending symbolic significance to these by toying with illusions and reality.
His work was shown in New York, United States, in 1936, at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992.
(La Victoire, 1939)
Magritte died on August 15, 1967 of pancreatic cancer in Brussels, Belgium.
The works of Magritte gained much popularity in the 1960’s and have influence the likes of Andy Warhol and John Baldessari.
His work has influenced conceptual art, pop art and even plagiarized in many advertisements.
The artwork of Magritte is now shown in various art galleries and museums around the world including the United States LACMA.
For more information on the life and works of René Magritte, please visit his website: http://www.magritte.com.