René Magritte

"La Magier noire (Black Magic)" Color Litho after 1945 Original by Rene Magritte

2011

"Venise en Fleurs" is an original color lithograph by Andre Masson. This piece is from the "Je Reve" (I Dream) portfolio of 1975. The edition number, written lower left, is H.C. XXV/...

"La Reconnaissance Infinie (The Infinite Recognition)" is a color lithograph after the 1963 painting by Rene Magritte. Two of Magritte's bourgeois "littl...

"La Reconnaissance Infinie (The Infinite Recognition)" is a color lithograph after the 1963 painting by Rene Magritte. Two of Magritte's bourgeois "little men" stand in the sky. Both look away from the viewer talking to each other in the typical outfit of Magritte's men, black trench coats and bowler hats. Art: 15 x 18.25 in Frame: 26.25 x 29.88 in René-François-Ghislain Magritte was born November 21, 1898, in Lessines, Belgium and died on August 15, 1967 in Brussels. He is one of the most important surrealist artists. Through his art, Magritte creates humor and mystery with juxtapositions and shocking irregularities. Some of his hallmark motifs include the bourgeois “little man,” bowler hats, apples, hidden faces, and contradictory texts. René Magritte’s father was a tailor and his mother was a miller. Tragedy struck Magritte’s life when his mother committed suicide when he was only fourteen. Magritte and his two brothers were thereafter raised by their grandmother. Magritte studied at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1918. After graduating he worked as a wallpaper designer and in advertisement. It was during this period that he married Georgette Berger, whom he had known since they were teenagers. In 1926, René Magritte signed a contract with the Brussels Art Gallery, which allowed him to quit his other jobs and focus completely on creating art. A year later he had his first solo show at the Galerie la Centaurie in Brussels. At this show Magritte exhibited what is today thought of as his first surrealist piece, The Lost Jockey, painted in 1926. In this work a jockey and his steed run across a theater stage, curtains parted on either side. Throughout the scene, there are trees with trunks shaped somewhat like chess pawns with musical scores running vertically up their sides and branches sticking out from all angles. Critics did not enjoy this style of art; it was new, different, and took critical thought to understand, but The Lost Jockey was only the first of many surrealist artworks Magritte would paint. Because of the bad press in Brussels, René and Georgette moved to Paris in 1927, with the hope that this center of avant-garde art would bring him success and recognition. In Paris, he was able to become friends with many other surrealists, including André Breton and Paul Éluard. They were able to learn from and inspire one another, pushing the Surrealist movement further forward. It was also in Paris that Magritte decided to add text to some of his pieces, which was one of the elements that made his artwork stand out. In 1929, he painted one of his most famous oil works: The Treachery of Images. This is the eye-catching piece centered on a pipe. Below the pipe is written “Ceci n’est pas un pipe,” which translates to “This is not a pipe.” This simple sentence upset many critics of the time, for of course it was a pipe. Magritte replied that it was not a pipe, but a representation of a pipe. One could not use this oil on canvas as a pipe, to fill it with tobacco and smoke it. Thus, it was not a pipe. In 1930, Magritte and Georgette moved back to Brussels. Though they would travel to his exhibitions elsewhere, their home going forward would always be in Brussels. Magritte had his first American exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City in 1936 and his first show in England two years later in 1938 at The London Gallery...

"A Multiple of Gaudy and Fantastic Appearances" from "Edgar Allen Poe's Mask of the Read Death" is an original lithograph by Frederico Castellon. The artist ...

This double-sided lithograph by Paolo Garretto features a Vanity Fair cover "The Face Off" on the front and a Camel Cigarette ad on the back. It was pu...

"La Naissance D'Eve" is an original color lithograph by Andre Masson. This piece, depicting Adam and Eve, is from Masson's "Je Reve (I Dream)" portfolio, and is signed in pencil lowe...

The Absolute Real is a lithograph realized by Man Ray in 1964. Hand-singed in pencil by the Artist. Lithograph in Red Ink, 1964. Published by Schwarz, the lithograph is part of th...

RECEIVING HAND is a hand drawn original lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches printmaking paper 100% acid free. RECEIVING HAND a finely detailed han...

This rare 10 piece series from 1973 is Dali's interpretation of Shakespeare's drama Hamlet. Dali paid homage to Shakespeare in several other works but this suite is considered to be ...

Esther Accuses Haman is an artwork realized by March Chagall, 1960s. Lithograph on brown-toned paper, no signature. Lithograph on both sheets. Edition of 6500 unsigned lithographs...

Edition of 90 specimens in arab numbers and 10 specimens in roman numbers. Edition IV/X. Hand signed by the artist with pencil. Ref. Cat. Raisonné "G. de Chirico: Catalogo dell'Ope...

Veni, domine Iesu (The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak) is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between ...