Rene Magritte

Date of Birth: November 21, 1898

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Date of Death: August 15, 1967

Biography

René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist, born on November 21, 1898, in Lessines, Belgium. He became known for his thought-provoking and often witty images that challenged observers’ preconditioned perceptions of reality. Magritte’s work frequently features everyday objects in unusual contexts, giving new meanings to familiar things. Magritte began drawing lessons in 1910 and attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels from 1916 to 1918. His early influences included Futurism and Cubism, but it was his exposure to Giorgio de Chirico’s work that steered him towards Surrealism. In 1927, Magritte moved to Paris and became involved with the Surrealist group led by André Breton. During this period, he developed his distinctive style characterized by a meticulous, illustrative technique combined with paradoxical, mysterious imagery. Some of his most famous works include “The Treachery of Images” (1929), which features the famous phrase “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe”), and “The Son of Man” (1964), depicting a man in a bowler hat with his face obscured by a floating green apple. Magritte continued to paint and exhibit his work until his death from pancreatic cancer on August 15, 1967, in Brussels, Belgium. His legacy continues to influence contemporary art, and his work is celebrated in museums worldwide.

5 Interesting Facts about Rene Magritte

1. René Magritte’s mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the River Sambre when Magritte was only 14 years old. This tragic event deeply affected him and influenced his later works.

2. Magritte often used recurring motifs such as bowler hats, pipes, and apples in his paintings, which have become iconic symbols of his work.

3. Despite his association with the Surrealist movement, Magritte lived a relatively conventional life, often described as “bourgeois,” in contrast to the avant-garde persona of many of his contemporaries.

4. His painting “The Lovers” (1928), which shows a couple kissing through veils, is thought to reflect his feelings of isolation and the mysterious nature of human relationships.

5. Magritte worked in commercial advertising to support himself financially before gaining recognition as an artist. This experience influenced his precise and clean painting style.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Rene Magritte

1. “Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.”

2. “Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.”

3. “We must not fear daylight just because it almost always illuminates a miserable world.”

4. “The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.”

5. “Life obliges me to do something, so I paint.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

René Magritte’s highest net worth during his lifetime is not documented, but his works have achieved significant value posthumously, with individual paintings selling for tens of millions of dollars.