The Giant (Le Géant), 1937. Paul Nougé (poet and founder of surrealism in Belgium) on the Belgian Coast by René Magritte. Courtesy Brachot Gallery, Brussels
Whilst René Magritte is best known for his surrealist paintings (such as the haunting image of the floating apple in ‘The Son of Man’), his photography and film are crucial to understanding the Belgian artist’s creative process and perspectives.
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In partnership with the Magritte Foundation Belgium, Swire Properties and Ludion, a European independent art book publisher, the latest exhibition at ArtisTree in Taikoo Place offers visitors a glimpse into Magritte’s private life with a display of intimate photographs from his daily life – including images of family, friends and other important figures in the Belgium surrealist movement – as well a collection of home videos that were only discovered in 1970s, more than ten years after the artist’s death. La Clairvoyance, 1936. René Magritte. Courtesy Collection Charly Herscovici, Europe
Most intriguing are the sections which reveal Margritte’s own efforts at recording; as in the above image (‘La Clairvoyance’), Margritte often photographed himself with his paintings, revealing his self-conscious attitude towards his role as an artist and a manipulator of the gaze, whilst also making fun of any pretences at artistic seriousness.
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