René Magritte

René Magritte

René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images that fell under the umbrella of surrealism. His work challenges observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. Magritte was born in Lessines, in the province of Hainaut, in 1898, the eldest son of Léopold Magritte, who was a tailor and textile merchant, and Régina , a milliner until her marriage. Little is known about Magritte's early life. He began lessons in drawing in 1910. On 12 March 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning...
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quick facts
Birthdate:November 21, 1898
Birthplace:Lessines
Date of death:August 15, 1967
Also known as:Rene Magritte, Ren Magritte, René François Ghislain Magrittee

Art galleries featuring René Magritte

Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's...
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Artworks by René Magritte featured in the Museum of Modern Art
René Magritte Piece FeaturedArtform
The Portrait Painting
Memory of a Voyage Painting
The Menaced Assassin Painting
The Palace of Curtains, III Painting
The Lovers Painting
The False Mirror Painting
The Empire of Light, II Painting
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art. The...
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Artworks by René Magritte featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
René Magritte Piece FeaturedArtform
Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values) Painting
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National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was established in 1937 for the people of the United States of...
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Artworks by René Magritte featured in the National Gallery of Art
René Magritte Piece FeaturedArtform
The Human Condition Painting
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Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is a renowned, encyclopedic art museum located in Chicago's Grant Park. The Art Institute has one of the world's most notable collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in its permanent collection. Its diverse holdings also include significant American...
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Artworks by René Magritte featured in the Art Institute of Chicago
René Magritte Piece FeaturedArtform
On the Threshold of Liberty Painting
Time Transfixed Painting
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Places René Magritte has lived

Map showing Places Lived by René Magritte
MarkerLocation
A Lessines
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Periods and Movements

Surrealism
Surrealism

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of...
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Artists from the Surrealism
Surrealism ArtistArtforms UsedNationality
Salvador Dalí Painting, Sculpture Spain
Leonor Fini Painting
Edward Wadsworth Painting England
Max Ernst Painting, Sculpture Germany
Joan Miró Painting, Ceramics Spain
Paul Klee Painting, Drawing Germany
Jesús Carles de Vilallonga Painting, Sculpture Spain
Lucian Freud Painting England
Giorgio de Chirico Painting Italy
Marcel Duchamp Painting, Sculpture France
János Mattis-Teutsch Painting Hungary
Justin Michael Jenkins Painting, Sculpture United States of America
Luna H. Mitani Painting, Drawing Japan
Hedda Sterne Painting, Drawing United States of America
Mati Klarwein Drawing, Painting Spain
Wayne White Painting United States of America
Boris Dragojevic Drawing, Painting Serbia
Alexander Calder Sculpture United States of America
Frida Kahlo Painting Mexico
Francis Picabia Painting France
Hans Arp Painting, Sculpture France
Paul Nash Painting England
Man Ray Painting, Photography United States of America
Alberto Savinio Painting Italy
André Masson Painting, Drawing France
Yves Tanguy Painting United States of America
Hans Bellmer Painting Germany
Remedios Varo Painting Spain
Enrico Donati Painting Italy
Wilhelm Freddie Painting Denmark
Dorothea Tanning Printmaking, Sculpture United States of America
Roberto Matta Painting Chile
Méret Oppenheim Painting, Sculpture Switzerland
James Gleeson Painting
Leonora Carrington Painting Mexico
Arnulf Rainer Painting
Marc Chagall Painting United States of America
Sidney Nolan Painting Australia
Jimmy Ernst Painting United States of America
Kay Sage Painting United States of America
Peter Blume Painting United States of America
David Hare Painting, Photography United States of America
Alberto Giacometti Drawing, Painting Switzerland
Conroy Maddox Painting England
Robert Colescott Painting United States of America
Bridget Bate Tichenor Painting Mexico
James Ensor Painting Belgium
Endre Rozsda Drawing, Painting
Victor Bregeda Painting, Drawing Russia
Karl Priebe Painting United States of America
Stanley William Hayter Painting England
Fateh Moudarres Painting, Drawing Syria
John Tunnard Painting England
Alice Rahon Painting
Eric de Kolb Painting, Sculpture
Rainer Maria Latzke Mural, Painting Germany
Francis Bacon Painting England
Paul Delvaux Painting Belgium
Danny Sillada Painting, Installation art
Paul Păun Drawing, Painting Romania
Boris Dragojević Painting, Drawing Serbia
Claude Cahun Photography, Collage France
Jack Boynton Painting, Sculpture United States of America
Stephen Namara Drawing, Painting United States of America
Henri Goetz Painting France
Francis de Erdely Painting, Drawing
Rallé Painting
George Pocheptsov Painting, Drawing United States of America
Ang Kiukok Painting
Hank Laventhol Painting, Sculpture
Josip Seissel Painting
Leona Wood Painting United States of America
Aelita Andre Painting Australia
Scott Neri Painting Mexico
Pierre Roy Painting
Vaclav Vaca Painting Czech Republic
Michael Whelan Drawing, Painting United States of America
Marcel Janco Painting, Tapestry Romania
Vitaly Tulenev Painting
Vladimir Kush Painting, Sculpture
Joan Brossa Sculpture Spain
Bjarne Rise Painting
Val Telberg Painting, Photography
Cynthia von Buhler Painting, Sculpture United States of America
Roberto Aizenberg Painting, Sculpture Argentina
Vartan Vahramian Painting
Szuda M. Barna Painting
Rodney Matthews Drawing, Painting
Ali Divandari Painting
René Iché Sculpture France
Heinz Hajek-Halke Photography
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People who influenced René Magritte

Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. Freud's family and ancestry were Jewish. Freud always considered himself a Jew even though he rejected Judaism and had a critical view of religion. Freud's parents were poor, but...
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André Breton
André Breton

André Breton was a French writer and poet. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism". Born to a family of modest means in Tinchebray in Normandy, he studied medicine...
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Jack Boynton
Jack Boynton

Jack Boynton was an American artist. Jack Boynton was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1928, and was known professionally as James until the early 1970s when he started signing as. He graduated from Lamar High School in 1945, received Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts , Professor,...
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Personal relationships of René Magritte

Georgette Berger
Georgette Berger
Relationship type:Marriage
Together since:1922

Georgette Berger was the wife of artist René Magritte. They met while Magritte was attending the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts from 1916 to 1918. Georgette Berger studied post-war modernism which led to her meeting Magritte. She enjoyed several forms of media and activities such as...
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q:
    Who had an impact on René Magritte?
  • A:
    André Breton and Sigmund Freud influenced René Magritte.
  • Q:
    Where was René Magritte born?
  • A:
    René Magritte was born in Lessines.
  • Q:
    What professions highlight René Magritte's career?
  • A:
    René Magritte was an accomplished painter.
  • Q:
    How did René Magritte die?
  • A:
    He died from pancreatic cancer.
  • Q:
    What famous artwork did René Magritte create?
  • A:
    Visual artwork created by René Magritte includes:
    - The Son of Man
    - The Treachery Of Images
    - Golconda
    - On the Threshold of Liberty
    - The Empty Mask
    - Elective Affinities
    - The Mysteries of the Horizon
  • Q:
    What is a well-known quote by René Magritte?
  • A:
    One famous quote is, "I am not a determinist but I don't believe in chance either. It serves as another 'explanation' of the world...."
René Magritte Photo Gallery

Quotes

  • I am not a determinist but I don't believe in chance either. It serves as another 'explanation' of the world....

    - René Magritte
René Magritte
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