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Magritte: A Life
The first major biography of the pathbreaking, perpetually influential surrealist artist and iconoclast whose inspiration can be seen in everyone from Jasper Johns to Beyonc�--by the celebrated biographer of C�zanne and Braque
In this thought-provoking life of Ren� Magritte (1898‒1967), Alex Danchev makes a compelling case for Magritte as the single most significant purveyor of images to the modern world. Magritte's surreal sensibility, deadpan melodrama, and fine-tuned outrageousness have become an inescapable part of our visual landscape, through such legendary works as The Treachery of Images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe), and his celebrated iterations of Man in a Bowler Hat.
Danchev explores the path of this highly unconventional artist, from his middle-class Belgian beginnings to the years in which he led a small, brilliant band of surrealists (and famously clashed with Andr� Breton) to his first major retrospective, which traveled to the United States in 1965 and gave rise to his international reputation.
Using thirty-two pages of color images and more than 160 black-and-white illustrations throughout the text, Danchev delves deeply into Magritte's artistic development and the profound questions he raised in his work about the very nature of authenticity.
In this thought-provoking life of Ren� Magritte (1898‒1967), Alex Danchev makes a compelling case for Magritte as the single most significant purveyor of images to the modern world. Magritte's surreal sensibility, deadpan melodrama, and fine-tuned outrageousness have become an inescapable part of our visual landscape, through such legendary works as The Treachery of Images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe), and his celebrated iterations of Man in a Bowler Hat.
Danchev explores the path of this highly unconventional artist, from his middle-class Belgian beginnings to the years in which he led a small, brilliant band of surrealists (and famously clashed with Andr� Breton) to his first major retrospective, which traveled to the United States in 1965 and gave rise to his international reputation.
Using thirty-two pages of color images and more than 160 black-and-white illustrations throughout the text, Danchev delves deeply into Magritte's artistic development and the profound questions he raised in his work about the very nature of authenticity.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2016
55 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Alex Danchev
40 books19 followersAlex Danchev was Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, and a long-standing friend of the Tate in London, where he has been a member of the Acquisition Committee of the Patrons of New Art.
His interests wandered across the borders of art, politics, and military history although his focus is chiefly biographical.
His biography of the philosopher-statesman Oliver Franks (Oxford University Press, 1993) was on the Observer's 'Books of the Year' and his biography of the military writer Basil Liddell Hart (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1998) was listed for the Whitbread Prize for Biography and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction.
His unexpurgated edition of the Alanbrooke Diaries (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001) was listed for the W.H. Smith Prize for Biography. In 2009 he published On Art and War and Terror, a collection of essays on the most difficult issues of our age and, in particular, the nature of humanity in times of conflict.
His interests wandered across the borders of art, politics, and military history although his focus is chiefly biographical.
His biography of the philosopher-statesman Oliver Franks (Oxford University Press, 1993) was on the Observer's 'Books of the Year' and his biography of the military writer Basil Liddell Hart (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1998) was listed for the Whitbread Prize for Biography and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction.
His unexpurgated edition of the Alanbrooke Diaries (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001) was listed for the W.H. Smith Prize for Biography. In 2009 he published On Art and War and Terror, a collection of essays on the most difficult issues of our age and, in particular, the nature of humanity in times of conflict.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 14, 2021
I’m not going to lie I skipped so many passages because I could not turn a page for 10 minutes. I like Magritte. Compared to other surrealists, his works are bit less abstract and require more of Freudian analysis. But do I need to know this much about Magritte? Probably not.
It would be a great resource if I were to write a thesis on Magritte. There were so many things you cannot find on Wikipedia or little summaries in museums’ intros. But as a novice level fan, I had hard time keeping myself alert and awake enough to consume this information.
If you are super duper Magritte fan or planning to study him, you might find this book extremely helpful. However, it’s too detailed and not so engaging to read for ‘fun’.
It would be a great resource if I were to write a thesis on Magritte. There were so many things you cannot find on Wikipedia or little summaries in museums’ intros. But as a novice level fan, I had hard time keeping myself alert and awake enough to consume this information.
If you are super duper Magritte fan or planning to study him, you might find this book extremely helpful. However, it’s too detailed and not so engaging to read for ‘fun’.
December 31, 2021
A thorough account of the life and work of Rene Magritte.
Danchev’s carefully researched account of Magritte’s contributions to Surrealism and to the art world in general is a good example of excellent research translating into a book that is…just ok.
The information is excellent is quality and breadth, but the writing lacks the panache and dynamism required for truly good nonfiction.
Artist monographs are tough hangs in general with a few very notable exceptions (due either to the extraordinary circumstances of the artist’s life or the extraordinary skill of the biographer).
This one has neither of those things, and even for someone like me who doesn’t mind slightly dry nonfiction and has multiple Art History degrees, it mostly feels respectably researched and compiled rather than “good.”
The book does have some truly compelling, fun segments, but those mostly result directly from a direct account of a small incident in Magritte’s life.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Danchev’s carefully researched account of Magritte’s contributions to Surrealism and to the art world in general is a good example of excellent research translating into a book that is…just ok.
The information is excellent is quality and breadth, but the writing lacks the panache and dynamism required for truly good nonfiction.
Artist monographs are tough hangs in general with a few very notable exceptions (due either to the extraordinary circumstances of the artist’s life or the extraordinary skill of the biographer).
This one has neither of those things, and even for someone like me who doesn’t mind slightly dry nonfiction and has multiple Art History degrees, it mostly feels respectably researched and compiled rather than “good.”
The book does have some truly compelling, fun segments, but those mostly result directly from a direct account of a small incident in Magritte’s life.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
January 6, 2022
Confused and challenging, overall I would steer clear of this one.
I'll echo a few other reviewers here by saying that despite a personal fascination with Magritte's art, this book was a bit of a slog. It had quite a few interesting episodes and anecdotes that shed (some) light on Magritte's choices of themes, and some that illuminated a bit of his character, but overall it lacked a consistent structure or narrative. I very much felt that the author was using available source material to focus deeply on certain well-documented aspects of Magritte's life (his younger days, his conflicts with Breton and the inner circle of Surrealism, his marriage) while leaving huge gaps. I absolutely did not walk way feeling like I really had gained a solid understanding of Magritte as a man, or a coherent understanding of his artistic development.
From an art criticism perspective, the book suffered from the same lack of cohesion that is does when considered as a biography. The more iconic pieces are indeed discussed, but not in a way that allows them the fit well into a larger picture, either in Magritte's own development or with his contemporaries.
Fairly lavishly illustrated in black in white in addition to some color plates, the illustrations are rendered somewhat frustrating by a lack of captions or clarity.
I'll echo a few other reviewers here by saying that despite a personal fascination with Magritte's art, this book was a bit of a slog. It had quite a few interesting episodes and anecdotes that shed (some) light on Magritte's choices of themes, and some that illuminated a bit of his character, but overall it lacked a consistent structure or narrative. I very much felt that the author was using available source material to focus deeply on certain well-documented aspects of Magritte's life (his younger days, his conflicts with Breton and the inner circle of Surrealism, his marriage) while leaving huge gaps. I absolutely did not walk way feeling like I really had gained a solid understanding of Magritte as a man, or a coherent understanding of his artistic development.
From an art criticism perspective, the book suffered from the same lack of cohesion that is does when considered as a biography. The more iconic pieces are indeed discussed, but not in a way that allows them the fit well into a larger picture, either in Magritte's own development or with his contemporaries.
Fairly lavishly illustrated in black in white in addition to some color plates, the illustrations are rendered somewhat frustrating by a lack of captions or clarity.
October 6, 2024
This biography of Magritte is much more than a simple life story. It immerses the reader in the culture, thought and art of the first half of the 20th century and bathes you in the surrealist world of Brussels and Paris at that time. It made me realise how little I know about these matters, though I know a little more now than I did before reading the book.
In early life Magritte comes across as a misogynist brat. He did not have it easy; his mother died when he was 14, by suicide. From boyhood he loved popular culture- devouring adventure thriller novels such as the Fantomas series, and films of the 1920s and later. For many years he worked as an adman and did not have huge success with his art. Global megastardom (and money) came late in life.
He was devoted to his wife Georgette, though there were tensions (affairs and jealousies) in the marriage. Politically he was on the left but he seems to have become less political in later years.
Magritte was a late developer as an artist. He said that seeing the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico was a major turning point for him. Magritte ploughed his own furrow in Surrealism. He formed his own circle of followers who collaborated with him and promoted his work. Some of these figures appear frequently so you get to know them - Paul Nouge, Louis Scutenaire, E.L.T. Mesens.
André Breton, leader of the Parisian Surrealists, also appears frequently. The Paris Surrealists seem to have been a very strong force, with forceful beliefs as expressed in the Surrealist Manifesto. They seem very wedded to the label of Surrealism and tried hard to define it, perhaps too hard.
Magritte became estranged from this circle. He did not fit in: he was Belgian, with an accent to match, he was uncouth, he would not kowtow to Breton.
Magritte described himself as a thinker who paints, not as an artist. The thinking preceded picking up his brush. That’s an interesting link with conceptual art, imho. For Magritte choosing a title for a completed picture was key to his process. He would often ask his circle to suggest titles for a work, though he made the final choice.
One example illustrates this: his development of a new kind of painting.
This was the “problem painting,” so called because of the methodology, or more accurately the genesis. Magritte would address himself to a “problem” posed by a given object, to which he had to find a “solution”—the solution—which would enable him to paint it and to make a Magritte of it. This idea of problem painting was Magritte’s invention, a highly original concept that opened new doors in how a painter might process ordinary imagery (an egg, a door), and a kind of self-induced hallucinating. Once the visual solution to the problem had been accomplished to his satisfaction, there remained a subset of the problem: what to call it, that is, to find a title for it.
He wrote a lot. He provided the seed for others to write, and his painting took inspiration from the writing of others too.
The book describes many of his works, and includes many colour plates and black and white images of the work. It explains his ‘Vache’ period (which lasted only five weeks), his word paintings (nearly 50 of them), and his invention of ‘Sunlit surrealism’.
There are many footnotes and references, so it reads like an academic work. There is an interesting short chapter entitled ‘Magrittiana’ describing the sources the author consulted - a huge amount of material is out there. Magritte was a prolific letter-writer (thousands on thousands). There are several key books in French about him written by those who knew him well. The Catalogue Raisonné is an enormous six-volume gathering of Magritte’s works, including a detailed timeline of his life. This wealth of source material perhaps dictates the style of the book; it’s necessary to explain the links between so many different people, works, ideas, and artists.
This biography is not a linear narrative. It weaves between Magritte’s life and friends and then to his works and ideas, going forward and backward in time. I found it a bit confusing as I was not very familiar with all Magritte’s works nor the cultural milieu of the time. It was hard work (and long, at 600 pages) but by the end I had a rich picture of the man and the artist.
In early life Magritte comes across as a misogynist brat. He did not have it easy; his mother died when he was 14, by suicide. From boyhood he loved popular culture- devouring adventure thriller novels such as the Fantomas series, and films of the 1920s and later. For many years he worked as an adman and did not have huge success with his art. Global megastardom (and money) came late in life.
He was devoted to his wife Georgette, though there were tensions (affairs and jealousies) in the marriage. Politically he was on the left but he seems to have become less political in later years.
Magritte was a late developer as an artist. He said that seeing the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico was a major turning point for him. Magritte ploughed his own furrow in Surrealism. He formed his own circle of followers who collaborated with him and promoted his work. Some of these figures appear frequently so you get to know them - Paul Nouge, Louis Scutenaire, E.L.T. Mesens.
André Breton, leader of the Parisian Surrealists, also appears frequently. The Paris Surrealists seem to have been a very strong force, with forceful beliefs as expressed in the Surrealist Manifesto. They seem very wedded to the label of Surrealism and tried hard to define it, perhaps too hard.
Magritte became estranged from this circle. He did not fit in: he was Belgian, with an accent to match, he was uncouth, he would not kowtow to Breton.
Magritte described himself as a thinker who paints, not as an artist. The thinking preceded picking up his brush. That’s an interesting link with conceptual art, imho. For Magritte choosing a title for a completed picture was key to his process. He would often ask his circle to suggest titles for a work, though he made the final choice.
One example illustrates this: his development of a new kind of painting.
This was the “problem painting,” so called because of the methodology, or more accurately the genesis. Magritte would address himself to a “problem” posed by a given object, to which he had to find a “solution”—the solution—which would enable him to paint it and to make a Magritte of it. This idea of problem painting was Magritte’s invention, a highly original concept that opened new doors in how a painter might process ordinary imagery (an egg, a door), and a kind of self-induced hallucinating. Once the visual solution to the problem had been accomplished to his satisfaction, there remained a subset of the problem: what to call it, that is, to find a title for it.
He wrote a lot. He provided the seed for others to write, and his painting took inspiration from the writing of others too.
The book describes many of his works, and includes many colour plates and black and white images of the work. It explains his ‘Vache’ period (which lasted only five weeks), his word paintings (nearly 50 of them), and his invention of ‘Sunlit surrealism’.
There are many footnotes and references, so it reads like an academic work. There is an interesting short chapter entitled ‘Magrittiana’ describing the sources the author consulted - a huge amount of material is out there. Magritte was a prolific letter-writer (thousands on thousands). There are several key books in French about him written by those who knew him well. The Catalogue Raisonné is an enormous six-volume gathering of Magritte’s works, including a detailed timeline of his life. This wealth of source material perhaps dictates the style of the book; it’s necessary to explain the links between so many different people, works, ideas, and artists.
This biography is not a linear narrative. It weaves between Magritte’s life and friends and then to his works and ideas, going forward and backward in time. I found it a bit confusing as I was not very familiar with all Magritte’s works nor the cultural milieu of the time. It was hard work (and long, at 600 pages) but by the end I had a rich picture of the man and the artist.
Read
January 10, 2022A well done biography of an unsavory man. Another case of admiring the art, but not the artist.
January 26, 2022
I have always admired Magritte's works and I found this biography very well-written and fascinating.
April 4, 2022
I have to start this review by saying that I am trained as an art historian, with a PhD in art and architectural history. I'm also a big fan of Rene Magritte's work. In essence, at least one of these things needs to be true in order to dive into this book. Even with that background, this book is dense and at times a bit overwhelming. Though, ultimately, I really enjoyed learning more about Magritte.
Alex Danchev, along with Sarah Whitfield (who finished the book after Danchev's passing) take an in-depth look at Magritte's life and career, as he goes from an artist not respected by his fellow surrealists to world-renowned. Danchev dives into the archives, drawing on plentiful primary source material to draw a portrait of the artist. Even for someone who is a fan of Magritte's work, there are a lot of details here that are relatively unknown. Each chapter is organized around a theme, while the book also moves roughly chronologically through his life. Danchev astutely connects Magritte's artistic output to what was happening in his personal life as well as the larger world. I particularly enjoyed learning more about paintings I was less familiar with and the context in which they were produced. The finished book includes 50 color plates of paintings, along with plentiful illustrations throughout.
As you might expect from a biography, there are A LOT of details here, some that were less interesting to me than others. The beginning of the book was especially difficult for me to get through, but that was more my own lack of interest in Magritte's childhood.
After reading this book, I certainly have a greater appreciation of Magritte and his artwork!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC and a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Alex Danchev, along with Sarah Whitfield (who finished the book after Danchev's passing) take an in-depth look at Magritte's life and career, as he goes from an artist not respected by his fellow surrealists to world-renowned. Danchev dives into the archives, drawing on plentiful primary source material to draw a portrait of the artist. Even for someone who is a fan of Magritte's work, there are a lot of details here that are relatively unknown. Each chapter is organized around a theme, while the book also moves roughly chronologically through his life. Danchev astutely connects Magritte's artistic output to what was happening in his personal life as well as the larger world. I particularly enjoyed learning more about paintings I was less familiar with and the context in which they were produced. The finished book includes 50 color plates of paintings, along with plentiful illustrations throughout.
As you might expect from a biography, there are A LOT of details here, some that were less interesting to me than others. The beginning of the book was especially difficult for me to get through, but that was more my own lack of interest in Magritte's childhood.
After reading this book, I certainly have a greater appreciation of Magritte and his artwork!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC and a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
July 19, 2021
If you ever wanted to know way too many things about Magritte, this is definitely the book for you. Magritte is one of my favorite artists. His particular mix of surrealism and existentialism (though I've never heard to him actually referred to that way) appeals to me a great deal. But I feel like I really didn't need to know so much about his early life, which seems to have been a giant running practical joke. Or something he made up and/or embellished along the way. It's hard to tell how much of this stuff is true. I'm not really sure that it matters. As a French speaker, I also found it distracting that the author kept trying to translate things for me. I have no idea what I thought I was getting into, but this didn't really do it for me.
It is well written. It flows nicely. And I think the author did a great job of putting together source materials. I just don't think he had a great deal to work with. Also, the author died before finishing this, so I wonder how different the finished product would have been if he had actually finished and done his own edits.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is well written. It flows nicely. And I think the author did a great job of putting together source materials. I just don't think he had a great deal to work with. Also, the author died before finishing this, so I wonder how different the finished product would have been if he had actually finished and done his own edits.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2022
Alex Danchev died just before finishing this glorious life of Magritte. I particularly love the way he contextualizes Magritte's work, showing the way posters, graphic art, and pulp fiction inspired the artist and the way Magritte inspires artists and graphic designers in turn. I do think that Danchev's biography of Cezanne is even better, just because he writes so well about the way Cezanne paints. But Cezanne is literally a more textured artist, and his materials and technique make for great reading. Magritte is iconic, popular, mysterious, with an originality bordering on shtick. He requires different treatment, and Danchev is well equipped to write about him too.
Currently reading
August 23, 2023Book 32
December 29, 2021
𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!
I’m a big fan of any form of art and I always found Magritte’s work impressive and phenomenal so when I received this book I was beyond excited. A remarkable biography, I loved every page of it.
Thank you Pantheon Books for this gifted copy.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘴, 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰, 𝘊𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
I’m a big fan of any form of art and I always found Magritte’s work impressive and phenomenal so when I received this book I was beyond excited. A remarkable biography, I loved every page of it.
Thank you Pantheon Books for this gifted copy.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘴, 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰, 𝘊𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
August 14, 2023
Very well organized and researched. A bit dense, but to be anything less would have made it less comprehensive, I think.
September 29, 2024
This biography of Magritte is much more than a simple life story. It immerses the reader in the culture, thought and art of the first half of the 20th century and bathes you in the surrealist world of Brussels and Paris at that time. It made me realise how little I know about these matters, though I know a little more now than I did before reading the book.
In early life Magritte comes across as a misogynist brat. He did not have it easy; his mother died when he was 14, by suicide. From boyhood he loved popular culture- devouring adventure thriller novels such as the Fantomas series, and films of the 1920s and later. For many years he worked as an adman and did not have huge success with his art. Global megastardom (and money) came late in life.
He was devoted to his wife Georgette, though there were tensions (affairs and jealousies) in the marriage. Politically he was on the left but he seems to have become less political in later years.
Magritte was a late developer as an artist. He said that seeing the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico was a major turning point for him. Magritte ploughed his own furrow in Surrealism. He formed his own circle of followers who collaborated with him and promoted his work. Some of these figures appear frequently so you get to know them - Paul Nouge, Louis Scutenaire, E.L.T. Mesens.
André Breton, leader of the Parisian Surrealists, also appears frequently. The Paris Surrealists seem to have been a very strong force, with forceful beliefs as expressed in the Surrealist Manifesto. They seem very wedded to the label of Surrealism and tried hard to define it, perhaps too hard.
Magritte became estranged from this circle. He did not fit in: he was Belgian, with an accent to match, he was uncouth, he would not kowtow to Breton.
Magritte described himself as a thinker who paints, not as an artist. The thinking preceded picking up his brush. That’s an interesting link with conceptual art, imho. For Magritte choosing a title for a completed picture was key to his process. He would often ask his circle to suggest titles for a work, though he made the final choice.
One example illustrates this: his development of a new kind of painting.
This was the “problem painting,” so called because of the methodology, or more accurately the genesis. Magritte would address himself to a “problem” posed by a given object, to which he had to find a “solution”—the solution—which would enable him to paint it and to make a Magritte of it. This idea of problem painting was Magritte’s invention, a highly original concept that opened new doors in how a painter might process ordinary imagery (an egg, a door), and a kind of self-induced hallucinating. Once the visual solution to the problem had been accomplished to his satisfaction, there remained a subset of the problem: what to call it, that is, to find a title for it.
He wrote a lot. He provided the seed for others to write, and his painting took inspiration from the writing of others too.
The book describes many of his works, and includes many colour plates and black and white images of the work. It explains his ‘Vache’ period (which lasted only five weeks), his word paintings (nearly 50 of them), and his invention of ‘Sunlit surrealism’.
There are many footnotes and references, so it reads like an academic work. There is an interesting short chapter entitled ‘Magrittiana’ describing the sources the author consulted - a huge amount of material is out there. Magritte was a prolific letter-writer (thousands on thousands). There are several key books in French about him written by those who knew him well. The Catalogue Raisonné is an enormous six-volume gathering of Magritte’s works, including a detailed timeline of his life. This wealth of source material perhaps dictates the style of the book; it’s necessary to explain the links between so many different people, works, ideas, and artists.
This biography is not a linear narrative. It weaves between Magritte’s life and friends and then to his works and ideas, going forward and backward in time. I found it a bit confusing as I was not very familiar with all Magritte’s works nor the cultural milieu of the time. It was hard work (and long, at 600 pages) but by the end I had a rich picture of the man and the artist.
In early life Magritte comes across as a misogynist brat. He did not have it easy; his mother died when he was 14, by suicide. From boyhood he loved popular culture- devouring adventure thriller novels such as the Fantomas series, and films of the 1920s and later. For many years he worked as an adman and did not have huge success with his art. Global megastardom (and money) came late in life.
He was devoted to his wife Georgette, though there were tensions (affairs and jealousies) in the marriage. Politically he was on the left but he seems to have become less political in later years.
Magritte was a late developer as an artist. He said that seeing the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico was a major turning point for him. Magritte ploughed his own furrow in Surrealism. He formed his own circle of followers who collaborated with him and promoted his work. Some of these figures appear frequently so you get to know them - Paul Nouge, Louis Scutenaire, E.L.T. Mesens.
André Breton, leader of the Parisian Surrealists, also appears frequently. The Paris Surrealists seem to have been a very strong force, with forceful beliefs as expressed in the Surrealist Manifesto. They seem very wedded to the label of Surrealism and tried hard to define it, perhaps too hard.
Magritte became estranged from this circle. He did not fit in: he was Belgian, with an accent to match, he was uncouth, he would not kowtow to Breton.
Magritte described himself as a thinker who paints, not as an artist. The thinking preceded picking up his brush. That’s an interesting link with conceptual art, imho. For Magritte choosing a title for a completed picture was key to his process. He would often ask his circle to suggest titles for a work, though he made the final choice.
One example illustrates this: his development of a new kind of painting.
This was the “problem painting,” so called because of the methodology, or more accurately the genesis. Magritte would address himself to a “problem” posed by a given object, to which he had to find a “solution”—the solution—which would enable him to paint it and to make a Magritte of it. This idea of problem painting was Magritte’s invention, a highly original concept that opened new doors in how a painter might process ordinary imagery (an egg, a door), and a kind of self-induced hallucinating. Once the visual solution to the problem had been accomplished to his satisfaction, there remained a subset of the problem: what to call it, that is, to find a title for it.
He wrote a lot. He provided the seed for others to write, and his painting took inspiration from the writing of others too.
The book describes many of his works, and includes many colour plates and black and white images of the work. It explains his ‘Vache’ period (which lasted only five weeks), his word paintings (nearly 50 of them), and his invention of ‘Sunlit surrealism’.
There are many footnotes and references, so it reads like an academic work. There is an interesting short chapter entitled ‘Magrittiana’ describing the sources the author consulted - a huge amount of material is out there. Magritte was a prolific letter-writer (thousands on thousands). There are several key books in French about him written by those who knew him well. The Catalogue Raisonné is an enormous six-volume gathering of Magritte’s works, including a detailed timeline of his life. This wealth of source material perhaps dictates the style of the book; it’s necessary to explain the links between so many different people, works, ideas, and artists.
This biography is not a linear narrative. It weaves between Magritte’s life and friends and then to his works and ideas, going forward and backward in time. I found it a bit confusing as I was not very familiar with all Magritte’s works nor the cultural milieu of the time. It was hard work (and long, at 600 pages) but by the end I had a rich picture of the man and the artist.
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March 14, 2024Magritte: A life is an authoritative biography of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte, written by the scholar Alex Danchev. To research this book, Danchev went to primary sources written in French that he translated himself. A particular aspect of Magritte's life was that he was a prolific letter writer; so it was a selection of those along with some books published by Magritte's collaborators that made the bulk of the sources.
The structure of the book follows, for the most part, a chronological order. We learn about the Magritte surname origin, the life of young René Magritte, his development into adulthood in Belgium and his dogged career as a painter. The peculiarity of Danchev's style is that he jumps back and forth in Magritte's life event in every chapter, which to me is problematic in the first half of the book.
Sadly, Danchev passed away unexpectedly when he was one chapter short from finishing the book. The last and tenth chapter was written by an expert on Magritte: Sarah Whitfield. This last chapter covers the life of the artist from 1948 'till 1967, the year when he passed away. Notice how that is one chapter for 20 years of Magritte, whereas the previous 9 chapters cover 48 years of his life.
I, personally, adore Danchev's prose and display of erudition. Having read and scored Cezanne: A Life 5 stars, I had high expectations for this, his last book. However, I must admit that, for several reasons, Magritte's is inferior to Cézanne's. For one, the back and forth in the storyline makes it difficult to follow. Then we have the issue of the last 20 years of Magritte, arguably when he became most popular and economically successful, given such a short treatment. Lastly, while in Cézanne's Danchev managed to uncover the interplay beautifully between the artist and the writer Émile Zola, in Magritte's we have the pettiness of the surrealists and their constant inner conflict. Sure enough, the poet Paul Nougé was a prominent, influential figure in Magritte's life; however, the depth of such relationships is not fully exploited (in my opinion).
All in all, just because this is Alex Danchev's last book, it is a recommended read. However, it is not that polished as to deserve a 5-star rating.
The structure of the book follows, for the most part, a chronological order. We learn about the Magritte surname origin, the life of young René Magritte, his development into adulthood in Belgium and his dogged career as a painter. The peculiarity of Danchev's style is that he jumps back and forth in Magritte's life event in every chapter, which to me is problematic in the first half of the book.
Sadly, Danchev passed away unexpectedly when he was one chapter short from finishing the book. The last and tenth chapter was written by an expert on Magritte: Sarah Whitfield. This last chapter covers the life of the artist from 1948 'till 1967, the year when he passed away. Notice how that is one chapter for 20 years of Magritte, whereas the previous 9 chapters cover 48 years of his life.
I, personally, adore Danchev's prose and display of erudition. Having read and scored Cezanne: A Life 5 stars, I had high expectations for this, his last book. However, I must admit that, for several reasons, Magritte's is inferior to Cézanne's. For one, the back and forth in the storyline makes it difficult to follow. Then we have the issue of the last 20 years of Magritte, arguably when he became most popular and economically successful, given such a short treatment. Lastly, while in Cézanne's Danchev managed to uncover the interplay beautifully between the artist and the writer Émile Zola, in Magritte's we have the pettiness of the surrealists and their constant inner conflict. Sure enough, the poet Paul Nougé was a prominent, influential figure in Magritte's life; however, the depth of such relationships is not fully exploited (in my opinion).
All in all, just because this is Alex Danchev's last book, it is a recommended read. However, it is not that polished as to deserve a 5-star rating.
January 12, 2022
This book wasn’t for me but I don’t know that it’s for anybody, really. It’s scholarly but organized weirdly—chronologically but without much care put into the weight of events. Shocking and interesting events are merely mentioned, interspersed with very lengthy accounts of minor events. Maybe the author was attempting to write in the subject’s painting style?
It also kind of broke my heart, reading about Magritte himself. I adore his work and am hugely inspired by it. Reading about his abhorrent behavior towards women (including possibly rape and sexual abuse of minor models, again, without much compassion or resolution, was off putting, to say the least. There are also a number of accounts of bullying, cajoling, and the like that really paint a pretty ugly picture.
Disappointing in every regard. I did not finish it.
It also kind of broke my heart, reading about Magritte himself. I adore his work and am hugely inspired by it. Reading about his abhorrent behavior towards women (including possibly rape and sexual abuse of minor models, again, without much compassion or resolution, was off putting, to say the least. There are also a number of accounts of bullying, cajoling, and the like that really paint a pretty ugly picture.
Disappointing in every regard. I did not finish it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
Even more obsessed with Rene Magritte's work now if that tells you anything. I loved learning about him but because this was published after the author's death there was room for improvements for sure. Audiobook was a little tough since I don't know French and there are some important bits of French that I'm sure I didn't fully appreciate and wasn't able to look up. I'd recommend it to ppl who want to understand more about Rene Magritte, surrealist art, and how it inspired many of our favorite 20th century American artists.
abandoned
December 21, 2022I'm trying to get better about abandoning books if I'm not getting much out of my reading. Although I love the artwork of Magritte, I have been bored by this biography. I attempted to read it on my Kindle, which I primarily read in bed before I fall asleep, and I think I might enjoy it this more as a book, read in the daylight accompanied by a book of his artwork, which I already have. If that happens, I'll update this review.
March 19, 2023
I'm glad that I read this and it was a decent starting point for learning about Magritte, but on the whole this book was frustratingly unorganized. It lacks a coherent structure to aid your own understanding of the artist's life, and while it has moments of clarity that shed light on Magritte and his art, there are long stretches that seem more like a late-night conversation with someone whose mind flits around than a concerted study.
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December 18, 2021Love this artist’s work or hate it you might end up feeling the same about the man. An in depth look at the influences of surrealist Rene Magritte, possible forger, serial letter writer, serial adulterer … fascinating look at the man from his birth, who his mothers suicide affected him through to his long marriage and death
December 28, 2021
I learned a lot but there is so much information in here that it wears you out. Best lesson was Magritte’s moved his art from HOW it was to be painted to WHAT was to be painted. thus he painted the same color sky, water, waves etc
April 13, 2022
I like to mention when I am not the intended audience for a book. In this case, I would have benefitted from a thorough knowledge of surrealists and their circles. A background in Magritte-iana? There's some context for his work but not at the level I was hoping for.
April 17, 2022
Pictures are more captivating than the life
April 26, 2022
Useful book, lots to think about when it comes to "Modern Art"
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December 15, 2022Sooooo muchhh info dumping, wished it was more about the art than 25 things that happened around him that probably wouldn’t have affected his work
March 10, 2022
De surrealisten waren verzot op vragenlijsten. Ze waren ook verzot op seks. Hier Magritte's reactie op een vragenlijst over liefde:
1. Wat voor soort hoop vestigt u op liefde?
2. Hoe ziet u de overgang van het idéé van liefde naar het feitelijke liefhebben?
3. Zou u zich het recht toestaan om uzelf voor een bepaalde tijd te beroven van de aanwezigheid van de persoon die u liefheeft, in de wetenschap hoezeer absentie de liefde kan laten ontbranden, maar ook in het besef van de middelmatigheid van dergelijke berekening?
4. Gelooft u in de zege van de glorie der liefde op de smerigheid van het leven, of in de zege van de smerigheid van het leven op de glorie der liefde?
1. Alles wat ik weet over de hoop die ik vestig op liefde is dat er alleen een vrouw nodig is om hem reëel te maken.
2. De overgang van het idee van liefde naar het feitelijke liefhebben gebeurt wanneer een wezen dat is verschenen in de werkelijkheid zijn bestaan zodanig inricht dat hij kan worden geliefd en gevolgd in het licht of de schaduw. Ik zou de vrijheid opofferen die zich verzet tegen de liefde. Ik vertrouw op mijn instincten om dit gebaar te vergemakkelijken voor mij, net als in het verleden.
Ik ben bereid de zaak waar ik voor sta op te geven, als die me corrumpeert ten opzichte van de liefde.
Ik kan niemand benijden die nooit de zekerheid van liefde heeft gekend.
Een man is bevoorrecht als zijn passie hem dwingt zijn overtuigingen op te zeggen om de vrouw die hij bemint te plezieren.
De vrouw heeft het recht om een vergelijkbaar bewijs te vragen, als dat dient om de liefde te verheffen.
3. Nee. Dat zou inhouden dat je, ter ere van het experiment, grenzen oplegt aan de macht der liefde.
4. De liefde kan niet worden vernietigd. Ik geloof in haar zege.
1. Wat voor soort hoop vestigt u op liefde?
2. Hoe ziet u de overgang van het idéé van liefde naar het feitelijke liefhebben?
3. Zou u zich het recht toestaan om uzelf voor een bepaalde tijd te beroven van de aanwezigheid van de persoon die u liefheeft, in de wetenschap hoezeer absentie de liefde kan laten ontbranden, maar ook in het besef van de middelmatigheid van dergelijke berekening?
4. Gelooft u in de zege van de glorie der liefde op de smerigheid van het leven, of in de zege van de smerigheid van het leven op de glorie der liefde?
1. Alles wat ik weet over de hoop die ik vestig op liefde is dat er alleen een vrouw nodig is om hem reëel te maken.
2. De overgang van het idee van liefde naar het feitelijke liefhebben gebeurt wanneer een wezen dat is verschenen in de werkelijkheid zijn bestaan zodanig inricht dat hij kan worden geliefd en gevolgd in het licht of de schaduw. Ik zou de vrijheid opofferen die zich verzet tegen de liefde. Ik vertrouw op mijn instincten om dit gebaar te vergemakkelijken voor mij, net als in het verleden.
Ik ben bereid de zaak waar ik voor sta op te geven, als die me corrumpeert ten opzichte van de liefde.
Ik kan niemand benijden die nooit de zekerheid van liefde heeft gekend.
Een man is bevoorrecht als zijn passie hem dwingt zijn overtuigingen op te zeggen om de vrouw die hij bemint te plezieren.
De vrouw heeft het recht om een vergelijkbaar bewijs te vragen, als dat dient om de liefde te verheffen.
3. Nee. Dat zou inhouden dat je, ter ere van het experiment, grenzen oplegt aan de macht der liefde.
4. De liefde kan niet worden vernietigd. Ik geloof in haar zege.
February 13, 2022
Everything you need to know about MAGRITTE and far too much more ! Forensically researched but unfortunately i felt much of the detail was superfluous and added little to understanding Magritte. Unquestionably a genius as seen in the images and colour plates but the narrative does nothing to enhance his brilliance. Perhaps a useful book for higher level students but it would have definitely benefited from some serious editing !
May 29, 2023
Please watch my video book review on YouTube
https://youtu.be/1jjuKSSb5BA
https://youtu.be/1jjuKSSb5BA
July 10, 2022
The word that comes to mind is Stodgy. Solid, substantial, but dense and a slog to get through.
November 20, 2025
What a revolting character
Awful to read
Awful to read
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