‘For me, painting is bringing my thoughts to life. I very much like poets and writers, but I am not a writer, so I think in images, not in novels or in poems.’ René Magritte, 1962.
This quote pretty much sums me up. Being dyslexic and neurodivergent, I often struggle with words which for a blogger you might find strange but that is one of the reasons why I take so long to write posts and take so many photos to express my thoughts, that and wanting to write the perfect post ha!
Anyhow back to the beautiful Magritte exhibition that is now on at the @artgalleryofnsw until 9th February 2025. The works of Belgian surrealist René Magritte on display cover more than four decades of his work - from his avant-guarde early days in the 1920s to his well known work in surrealism. The exhibition, the first of its kind dedicated to Magritte in Australia demonstrates his influence on modern and contemporary art.
I really enjoyed walking through this exhibition and its many aspects during its media preview some weeks ago and listening to curator Nicholas Chambers explain the meaning behind some of the works. Impressively more than 100 works were drawn from various private and public collectors across the world including Europe and Australia. I particularly liked listening and talking to Charly Herscovici, president of the Magritte Foundation from Brussels and being French helped me in that respect.
Magritte was a painter of ideas and for him mystery was a supreme thing and he enjoyed reproducing the world into canvas. The later part of his work is what he is known for, which is the invisible world, world of clouds, bowler hats, apples and painting the day into the night and night into day. I was perplexed by the meaning of bowler hats in Magritte’s painting so went to ask Charly Herscovici for an explanation and he provided me with a fascinating insight!
The exhibition has no interactive aspects or kid installations linked to it, you can however enjoy it with the kids or take turns with a carer and let the kids create in the Kwatja Kngarritja Tnyirlalhama kids installation right next to it.
Opening on 26 October, Magritte will feature more than 100 works and will be the first retrospective ever dedicated to the artist in Australia.
Presented in Naala Nura, the Art Gallery’s South building, the exhibition will take visitors on a journey from some of the artist’s earliest works, through to his landmark contributions to surrealism, and the renowned paintings of his final years before his death in 1967.
In addition to more than 80 paintings, the exhibition includes rarely seen photography, film and archival materials that shine a light on lesser-known aspects of his practice, revealing his subversive humour and artistic independence.
René Magritte (1898–1967) created some of the most iconic paintings of the 20th century’s surrealist movement, his art revealing the mystery and poetry of seemingly ordinary objects and places. A painter of ideas, he explored the relationship between reality and representation, between image and language, and his work continues to exert a profound influence on contemporary visual culture.
The Art Gallery of NSW has developed the exhibition with the close co-operation of the Magritte Foundation, Brussels, and with the partnership of the Menil Collection, Houston, home to the most comprehensive Magritte collection outside Europe. Magritte features major works loaned from collections in Australia, Belgium, Japan and the United States, the vast majority of which have never been seen in in this country.
Event Details:
Dates: Saturday 26th October to Sunday 9th February 2024
Suitable for: All ages
Location: Art Gallery of NSW - South Building