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René Magritte Art

Belgian, 1898-1967

René Magritte is celebrated today as one of Surrealism’s most talented artists, and, alongside Salvador Dalí, the cheeky, subversive Belgian painter and author is the movement’s best-known representative, having cemented his legacy with what may be the most iconic five words in all of art history: “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe).

Magritte’s success, though, hardly came overnight. Born in 1898 in Lessines to a wealthy manufacturer, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels from 1916 to 1918 but quit before graduation. His early artistic work wavered between Cubism and semi-abstraction, and he found work as a graphic designer while experimenting with his own creative oeuvre. In the mid-1920s, he began to experiment with Surrealism, then a relatively nascent movement that had grown out of the absurdist Dada. Led by André Breton, Surrealism endeavored to record elements of the subconscious and present contradictory, sometimes even nonsensical, narratives that challenged the notion of an absolute reality.

Magritte’s first widely recognized work within this genre was 1927’s The Menaced Assassin, now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Shortly after completing this work, Magritte relocated to Paris, to be closer to Breton and the center of the Surrealist movement. This decision would prove critical in his life — and in the trajectory of Surrealist art history. The three years Magritte spent in Paris were his most prolific, and by the close of the 1920s he had completed some of his best-known work, including the seminal 1929 The Treachery of Images, a simple picture of what appears to be a pipe, with the words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” in neat script below it.

Magritte returned to Brussels in the early 1930s but continued experimenting with work that wavered between dreamlike and nonsensical. His influences throughout this part of his career ranged from Breton to Giorgio de Chirico and Dalí. While living in German-occupied Belgium beginning in the early 1940s, Magritte entered what is often called his Renoir period or what he labeled “Sunlit Surrealism.” He worked in comparatively brighter, more vibrant colors and produced oil paintings and gouaches that were overrun with light and the type of brushstrokes that are usually associated with Impressionist art.

Like many artists during and after the war, Magritte thought deeply about art’s role in answering big existential questions and broke with Surrealism as a result. His Impressionistic The Fifth Season in 1943 resembled little of what he’d painted in years past. His so-called Vache period that followed would represent another stylistic shift that owed to German Expressionism. Not everything changed, however; Magritte would go on to revisit his earliest creative impulses, in some cases appropriating elements from fellow artists in his own depictions, as with his Perspective II: Manet’s Balcony in 1950, a playful and probing reinterpretation of Edouard Manet’s The Balcony. Later in his career, the artist dabbled in sculpture, before dying in 1967.

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Artist: René Magritte
Le Séducteur (The Tempter)
Le Séducteur (The Tempter)

Le Séducteur (The Tempter)

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

Framed 34.25 x 38.50 in Color lithograph after the 1951 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300.

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Rene Magritte, The Indiscreet Jewels, from XXe Siecle, 1963
Rene Magritte, The Indiscreet Jewels, from XXe Siecle, 1963

Rene Magritte, The Indiscreet Jewels, from XXe Siecle, 1963

By René Magritte

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Rene Magritte (1898–1967), titled Les Bijoux indiscrets (The Indiscreet Jewels), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXVe Annee N°22, Noel 1963, o...

Category

1960s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Grande Guerre - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
La Grande Guerre - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print

La Grande Guerre - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print

By René Magritte

Located in Sint-Truiden, BE

Color lithograph after the 1954 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Magritte...

Category

20th Century Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

L'Empire des Lumières (The Empire of Light)
L'Empire des Lumières (The Empire of Light)

L'Empire des Lumières (The Empire of Light)

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

Framed 25.38 x 31.38 in Color lithograph after the 1964 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the ...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Les bijoux indiscrets
Les bijoux indiscrets

Les bijoux indiscrets

By René Magritte

Located in OPOLE, PL

René Magritte (1898-1967) - Les bijoux indiscrets Lithograph from 1975. Edition 70/575 (Photocopy of the colophone is included). Dimensions of work: 31 x 24 cm. Plate signed. Ea...

Category

1970s Modern René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Magritte 1968 'Le Domaine Enchante (VI)' FRAMED Hand signed Mourlot
Magritte 1968 'Le Domaine Enchante (VI)' FRAMED Hand signed Mourlot

Magritte 1968 'Le Domaine Enchante (VI)' FRAMED Hand signed Mourlot

By René Magritte

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This limited edition lithograph, signed by Fernand Mourlot beneath the right-hand corner of the image, is part of a suite of eight “Le Domaine Enchanté” images, printed in an edition...

Category

1960s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

The shadow and his shadow

The shadow and his shadow

By René Magritte

Located in Winterswijk, NL

Black and white photographic painting of Georgette and René Magritte, an autonomous work that treating the theme of the "hidden-invisible". Photography Silver gelatin print from est...

Category

1980s René Magritte Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Le Château des Pyrénées (The Castle of the Pyrenees)
Le Château des Pyrénées (The Castle of the Pyrenees)

Le Château des Pyrénées (The Castle of the Pyrenees)

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

Framed 40.50 x 30 in The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Magritte Foundation & ADAGP and is countersigned in pencil by Mr. Charly Herscovici, President of the Magritte...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte
"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte

"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values)" is a color lithograph after the original 1952 painting by Rene Magritte. This interior scene has objects of various sizes. A comb, match, brush, and glass are bigger than typically larger objects like a queen bed and chest of drawers. The walls are a bright cloudy sky. Art: 19.63 x 4.75 in Frame: 34.13 x 38.88 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...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Souvenir de Voyage (Memory of a Journey)
Souvenir de Voyage (Memory of a Journey)

Souvenir de Voyage (Memory of a Journey)

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

Image size: 18.25 x 15 in Paper size: 23.63 x 17.07 in Frame size: 32.38 x 29.13 in Color lithograph after the 1961 gouache on paper by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte an...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

1975 Original lithograph - Les Bijoux Indiscrets - XXe Siecle
1975 Original lithograph - Les Bijoux Indiscrets - XXe Siecle

1975 Original lithograph - Les Bijoux Indiscrets - XXe Siecle

By René Magritte

Located in PARIS, FR

The English translation of the title is "The Indiscreet Jewels". Medium: original lithograph. This is the second printing (deuxième tirage) of this striking Rene Magritte composition...

Category

1970s René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Chants de Maldoror - Rare Book Illustrated by René Magritte - 1948
Chants de Maldoror - Rare Book Illustrated by René Magritte - 1948

Chants de Maldoror - Rare Book Illustrated by René Magritte - 1948

By René Magritte

Located in Roma, IT

Les Chants de Maldoror is an original modern rare book written by Comte de Lautréamont, pseudonym of Isidore Lucien Ducasse (Montevideo, 1846 — Paris, 1870) and illustrated by René ...

Category

1940s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Paper, Photogravure

"Le Retour (Return), " Color Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte
"Le Retour (Return), " Color Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

"Le Retour (Return), " Color Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Le Retour (Return)" is a color lithograph after the original 1940 painting by Rene Magritte. A bird which is really just the sky in the day and clouds. A nest bellow the bird has th...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

"La Peine Perdue (The Wasted Effort)" Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte
"La Peine Perdue (The Wasted Effort)" Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

"La Peine Perdue (The Wasted Effort)" Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"La Peine Perdue (The Wasted Effort)" is a color lithograph after original 1962 painting by Rene Magritte. Two blue curtains are parted on either side. Two curtain shaped mirrors show a sky and clouds. A ball sits right to the left of the mirrors. Art: 12 x 9.75 in Frame: 22.75 x 20.38 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...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

"La race blanche (The White Race), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte
"La race blanche (The White Race), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

"La race blanche (The White Race), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"La race blanche (The White Race)" is a color lithograph after the original 1937 painting by Rene Magritte. A female figure is made out of a mix of body parts. An eye sits on top of an ear, which is on top of a mouth, then two noses. Two breasts lying on a stomach; two arms come from the breasts. Legs are tucked under the stomach. This figure is on a sand dune next to the ocean. Art: 26.5 x 19.63 in Frame: 40.88 x 33.88 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...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

"La Fleche de Zenon (Zeno's Arrow), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte
"La Fleche de Zenon (Zeno's Arrow), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

"La Fleche de Zenon (Zeno's Arrow), " Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"La Fleche de Zenon (Zeno's Arrow)" is a color lithograph after the original 1964 painting by Rene Magritte. A gigantic rock levitates over the sea. Waves crash bellow and a crescent moon hangs above. Art: 9.75 x 11.75 in Frame: 20.38 x 22.38 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...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Valse Hésitation (The Hesitation Waltz)
La Valse Hésitation (The Hesitation Waltz)

La Valse Hésitation (The Hesitation Waltz)

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

Image size: 14.88 x 18.75 in Paper size: 17.94 x 23.63 in Frame size: 28 x 31.88 in Color lithograph after the 1950 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and num...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Indiscrete Jewels (Les Bijoux Indiscrets) - Original lithograph [Catalog #3]
Indiscrete Jewels (Les Bijoux Indiscrets) - Original lithograph [Catalog #3]

Indiscrete Jewels (Les Bijoux Indiscrets) - Original lithograph [Catalog #3]

By René Magritte

Located in Paris, IDF

René MAGRITTE Les bijoux indiscrets (Indiscrete jewels), 1975 Original lithograph (Printed in Mourlot Workshop) Printed signature in the plate Unnumbered as usual (limited edition o...

Category

1970s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le fils de l'homme, limited edition skateboard Surrealist artist 36/250 (estate)
Le fils de l'homme, limited edition skateboard Surrealist artist 36/250 (estate)

Le fils de l'homme, limited edition skateboard Surrealist artist 36/250 (estate)

By René Magritte

Located in New York, NY

Rene Magritte Le fils de l'homme, 2018 7-Ply Grade A Canadian Maplewood 31 × 8 inches Edition 35/250 Authorized artist's signature on the deck; hand numbered. along with separate han...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Wood, Mixed Media, Screen

"Le Bouquet tout fait (The Ready-made Bouquet), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte
"Le Bouquet tout fait (The Ready-made Bouquet), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte

"Le Bouquet tout fait (The Ready-made Bouquet), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte

By René Magritte

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Le Bouquet tout fait (The Ready-made Bouquet)" is a color lithograph after a 1954 original painting by Rene Magritte. A bourgeois "little man" faces away from the viewer looking towards a fall forest. Flora, the goddess of flowers and season of spring, from Sandro Botticelli's "Primavera" is painted on the back of the man. This juxtaposes fall and spring. Art: 12 x 9.75 in Frame: 22.38 x 20.38 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...

Category

2010s Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nude Study (Etudes de Nus)

Nude Study (Etudes de Nus)

By René Magritte

Located in London, GB

20th Century Pencil on paper 27 x 21.3 cm Unique work Very good condition, with original studio stains (chalk and watercolour spots) on the paper Unframed

Category

20th Century Contemporary René Magritte Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

La Valse Hesitation

La Valse Hesitation

By René Magritte

Located in New York, NY

An instantly recognizable image by Rene Magritte, La Valse Hesitation, printed in 1971, is an original color etching signed by the artist in the etching plate, and hand-signed by the artist’s wife, Georgette Magritte, in pencil, and numbered. Measuring 22 ½ x 30 inches (56.5 x 76.3 cm), unframed, the artwork is from the numbered edition of 150, printed by Jacques David...

Category

20th Century Surrealist René Magritte Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

René Magritte art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic René Magritte art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by René Magritte in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large René Magritte art, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Brian Ziff, Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira, and Maurice Pasternak. René Magritte art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $129 and tops out at $18,700, while the average work can sell for $3,000.

Artists Similar to René Magritte

Questions About René Magritte Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025
    A famous quote from René Magritte is, "Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist." Another is "All that we see hides something else." With his work, Magritte wished to cultivate an approach that avoided the stylistic distractions of most modern painting. While French Surrealists experimented with new techniques, Magritte settled on a deadpan, illustrative approach that clearly articulated the content of his pictures. Some of his most famous works include The Treachery of Images, The Son of Man and The Lovers. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of René Magritte art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    You can see Magritte paintings in many locations. The Magritte Museum in Brussels, Belgium, has the largest collection, with more than 200 paintings and prints on display. Other museums that have Magritte pieces in their collections include the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois; the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, California; the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, Italy; and the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany. On 1stDibs, find a selection of René Magritte art from some of the world's top dealers and galleries.
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024
    The difference between Dalí and Magritte in terms of the artists’ work comes down to subject matter and style. Salvador Dalí used hyperrealism in painting Surrealist symbols and concepts that subverted accepted notions of reality and often featured in complex, highly detailed landscapes. On the other hand, René Magritte was less concerned with realism and symbolism. Instead, he challenged the notions of reality through mysterious disembodied figures and objects. He was also fond of repeating the same motifs and even painted multiple versions of single works, while Dalí did not. Shop a range of Salvador Dalí and René Magritte art on 1stDibs.