What do you think?
Rate this book
The Portable Magritte
"The Portable Magritte" represents a new approach to the enjoyment and study of art in book form. With more than 400 color reproductions and a compact handheld size, this book manages to be affordable and comprehensive. It's like a catalogue raisonne that fits in a backpack. This accessible format is a perfect match for the paintings of Rene Magritte-one of the few twentieth-century painters whose works are immediately approachable and who has an enduring cultlike following. His surrealistic and mysterious visions always provoke introspective thought and imagination. All of Magritte's most characteristic and beloved motifs-the green apple, the bowler hat, and the dreamlike twilight hour-make their appearance, along with some surprising lesser-known paintings. The artist's method and meaning is explored in an intriguing essay by Robert Hughes, the art critic for "Time" magazine and acclaimed commentator on art and culture. A hip and current update on this timeless artist, "The Portable Magritte" makes an ideal gift for students as well as art lovers of any age.
- GenresArtNonfiction
432 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2001
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Robert Hughes
183 books325 followersRobert Studley Forrest Hughes, AO was an Australian art critic, writer and television documentary maker who has resided in New York since 1970. He was educated at St Ignatius' College, Riverview before going on to study arts and then architecture at the University of Sydney. At university, Hughes associated with the Sydney "Push" – a group of artists, writers, intellectuals and drinkers. Among the group were Germaine Greer and Clive James. Hughes, an aspiring artist and poet, abandoned his university endeavours to become first a cartoonist and then an art critic for the Sydney periodical The Observer, edited by Donald Horne. Around this time he wrote a history of Australian painting, titled The Art of Australia, which is still considered to be an important work. It was published in 1966. Hughes was also briefly involved in the original Sydney version of Oz magazine, and wrote art criticism for The Nation and The Sunday Mirror.
Hughes left Australia for Europe in 1964, living for a time in Italy before settling in London, England (1965) where he wrote for The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Observer, among others, and contributed to the London version of Oz. In 1970 he obtained the position of art critic for TIME magazine and he moved to New York. He quickly established himself in the United States as an influential art critic.In 1975, he and Don Brady provided the narration for the film Protected, a documentary showing what life was like for Indigenous Australians on Palm Island.
In 1980, the BBC broadcast The Shock of the New, Hughes's television series on the development of modern art since the Impressionists. It was accompanied by a book of the same name; its combination of insight, wit and accessibility are still widely praised. In 1987, The Fatal Shore, Hughes's study of the British penal colonies and early European settlement of Australia, became an international best-seller.
Hughes provided commentary on the work of artist Robert Crumb in parts of the 1994 film Crumb, calling Crumb "the American Breughel". His 1997 television series American Visions reviewed the history of American art since the Revolution. He was again dismissive of much recent art; this time, sculptor Jeff Koons was subjected to criticism. Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore (2000) was a series musing on modern Australia and Hughes's relationship with it. Hughes's 2002 documentary on the painter Francisco Goya, Goya: Crazy Like a Genius, was broadcast on the first night of the BBC's domestic digital service. Hughes created a one hour update to The Shock of the New. Titled The New Shock of the New, the program aired first in 2004. Hughes published the first volume of his memoirs, Things I Didn’t Know, in 2006.
Hughes left Australia for Europe in 1964, living for a time in Italy before settling in London, England (1965) where he wrote for The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Observer, among others, and contributed to the London version of Oz. In 1970 he obtained the position of art critic for TIME magazine and he moved to New York. He quickly established himself in the United States as an influential art critic.In 1975, he and Don Brady provided the narration for the film Protected, a documentary showing what life was like for Indigenous Australians on Palm Island.
In 1980, the BBC broadcast The Shock of the New, Hughes's television series on the development of modern art since the Impressionists. It was accompanied by a book of the same name; its combination of insight, wit and accessibility are still widely praised. In 1987, The Fatal Shore, Hughes's study of the British penal colonies and early European settlement of Australia, became an international best-seller.
Hughes provided commentary on the work of artist Robert Crumb in parts of the 1994 film Crumb, calling Crumb "the American Breughel". His 1997 television series American Visions reviewed the history of American art since the Revolution. He was again dismissive of much recent art; this time, sculptor Jeff Koons was subjected to criticism. Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore (2000) was a series musing on modern Australia and Hughes's relationship with it. Hughes's 2002 documentary on the painter Francisco Goya, Goya: Crazy Like a Genius, was broadcast on the first night of the BBC's domestic digital service. Hughes created a one hour update to The Shock of the New. Titled The New Shock of the New, the program aired first in 2004. Hughes published the first volume of his memoirs, Things I Didn’t Know, in 2006.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 25, 2017
magritte is the best
March 24, 2011
I would love to see these in person.
May 31, 2024
Images of paintings on every page. What can be better!
January 4, 2020
Interesting concept for 'The Portable..." series and useful in many ways.
However, it's disingenuous to describe it as being "by" Robert Hughes. Yes, he wrote the 'introduction' though he didn't write it for THIS book (or this series) ... here's my story:
I attended a reading and book signing at Vroman's in Pasadena, California, when Hughes' memoir (Things I Didn't Know) came out. Chairs were set out in a room upstairs, and a table for the author with several of his books displayed on it. Perhaps 3 or 4 dozen people were there, waiting -Hughes was a bit late arriving. One of the bookstore employees escorted him and it was not a good day for Hughes. This was post-car-accident when he lived in constant pain, but it got worse when he saw the "Portable" series of books set out on the table.
With effort, he lifted up his cane and swatted The Portable Magritte off the table, then the next one and the next... went into a rant about his work being stolen. Did he write the essay about Magritte? Yes, but in connection with his work for Time Magazine and his other books - the publisher of these "Portable" volumes had never contacted him about using his essays as the introductions. Needless to say, he was never paid for that, either. But they certainly put Hughes' name on the books...
He settled down a bit to read a chapter from his memoir, but was constantly shifting around in the chair - that's part of my comment about being in pain. Signed books afterwards for the audience (just a signature, no inscribing - that had been announced before he arrived).
A good lesson, I'm sure, for the bookstore employees - and despite all, he's still my favorite author. But this isn't one of *his* books.
However, it's disingenuous to describe it as being "by" Robert Hughes. Yes, he wrote the 'introduction' though he didn't write it for THIS book (or this series) ... here's my story:
I attended a reading and book signing at Vroman's in Pasadena, California, when Hughes' memoir (Things I Didn't Know) came out. Chairs were set out in a room upstairs, and a table for the author with several of his books displayed on it. Perhaps 3 or 4 dozen people were there, waiting -Hughes was a bit late arriving. One of the bookstore employees escorted him and it was not a good day for Hughes. This was post-car-accident when he lived in constant pain, but it got worse when he saw the "Portable" series of books set out on the table.
With effort, he lifted up his cane and swatted The Portable Magritte off the table, then the next one and the next... went into a rant about his work being stolen. Did he write the essay about Magritte? Yes, but in connection with his work for Time Magazine and his other books - the publisher of these "Portable" volumes had never contacted him about using his essays as the introductions. Needless to say, he was never paid for that, either. But they certainly put Hughes' name on the books...
He settled down a bit to read a chapter from his memoir, but was constantly shifting around in the chair - that's part of my comment about being in pain. Signed books afterwards for the audience (just a signature, no inscribing - that had been announced before he arrived).
A good lesson, I'm sure, for the bookstore employees - and despite all, he's still my favorite author. But this isn't one of *his* books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews