B RONZE S CULPTURES Multiples Editions of René Magritte
PHILIPPE MORENO EDITIONS
Here I present four sculptures of Magritte : « Les Menottes de cuivre », « La Joconde », « Tête », and « Le bouchon d'épouvante ». In this way, Alexander Iolas, Magritte’s art dealer, presented eight sculptures in bronze based on his oil paintings, on November 5, 1968. This series of sculptures is presented on the occasion of a particular year during which Magritte will be honored in the United States. An important exposition Magritte: The Mystery ofthe Ordinary, 1926–1938 has been organized in three museums : - The MOMAin New York from September, 2013 to January, 2014. - The Ménil Institute in Houston from February, 2014 to May, 2014. - The Chicago Art Institute from June, 2014 to October, 2014. The eight bronzes of 1967 were the result of an encounter between René Magritte and his publisher and dealer, Alexander Iolas. The five sculptures I present here are the result ofmy meeting with Charly Herscovici, legal successor ofRené Magritte and Chairman ofthe Fondation Magritte. I met Charly Herscovici in the beginning of 2000, and our collaboration began with the publication of 26 lithographs, printed in lithographic tradition, color after color in the Paris workshop I created for this project. From this first experience was born the necessary confidence which permitted the later publication ofthese sculptures. While the sculptures Magritte had imagined in 1967 as three-dimensional interpretations of his own paintings, the four subjects presented here, are sculptures realized from painted plaster casts, objects or bronze sculptures created by the artist himself. « Les Menottes de Cuivre » is the bronze edition of the surrealist work created in 1931. Magritte was the first artist to appropriate this antique sculpture discovered at Milo then exposed in the Louvre Museum. The Venus de Milo appears in several of Magritte’s paintings. After he created this particular work, he sent a photograph ofit to André Breton, asking him to think ofa title. He wrote : « This work recalls the masks on which I painted the sky or a forest. Here the head is white, the body fleshcolored ; the curtains are blue, the base and the sections of arm and foot are black. In my view this gives the Venus an unexpected life. » To this, André Breton replied : « I resign myself to proposing a title that is purely poetic, « The Copper Handcuffs, » which seems to me to have the particular advantage of incorporating into the work an additional color without inasmuch introducing anything arbitrary, since copper is the metal which corresponds to Venus. » « La Joconde » is a smaller version ofthe 1967 edition. The curtains are inspired by the oil painting « The Misanthropes » of 1943. The little bells are inspired by the oil painting « The Voice In The Air » from 1928. « Tête » is the bronze edition ofthe work ofthe same name created in 1960. The plaster head was re-used many times for the subjects entitled « The Memory. » Magritte painted his « model » in blue and this remained with him until the dispersal of his workshop in 1987 following the passing ofhis wife Georgette. « Le bouchon d’épouvante » is the bronze edition of the work of the same name created in 1966. Magritte had the idea to stick on the derby hat a label from a pharmaceutical bottle that he signed and on which was written « USAGE EXTERNE ». With this work, Magritte referenced the Dadaist tradition, with a wink at Duchamp’s work. All ofthese sculptures were cast using the lost-wax method in the best French foundries. Each sculpture is numbered and bears Magritte’s signature and the foundry mark. It bears the mark of Succession René Magritte, and also the thumb imprint ofCharly Herscovici. PHILIPPE MORENO Luxembourg, January 15, 2014
Left: Les Menottes de Cuivre at the Sotheby's Beyond Limits exhibition in Chatsworth (UK) in September 2011 height: 220 cm Private collection
1898 1900 1902 1910 1912 1913 1915 1916 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1936
1937
René Francois Ghislain Magritte is born in Lessines (Hainaut) on the 21st of November, the son of merchant Léopold Magritte and milliner Adeline Bertichamps. The Magritte family moves to Gilly. René’s brother Raymond is born. René’s second brother Paul is born. The Magritte family moves to Châtelet, Charleroi and Brussels. First painting classes in Châtelet. René’s mother commits suicide, throwing herself into the Sambre river. The family moves to Charleroi. René meets Georgette Berger who will later become his wife. First works of an impressionist style. Attends the Beaux-arts Academy in Brussels until 1918. The family moves to Brussels. Magritte meets Pierre-Louis Flouquet with whom he shares a workshop and thanks to whom he discovers cubism and futurism. Magritte holds an exhibition with Pierre-Louis Flouquet at the Brussels Art Center. Meets E.L.T. Mesens who teaches the piano to his brother Paul. In February he attends Theo Van Doesburg’s conference on De Stijl. In December he exhibits 5 paintings at the International Modern Art Exhibition in Geneva. Military service in infantry. Marries Georgette Berger. Works at the wallpaper factory Peeters-Lacroix along with Victor Servrancks. They compose the essay L’art pur, défense de l’esthétique. Magritte paints cubist and futurist canvasses. In April-May, he participates in the collective exhibition organized by the journal ca ira in Antwerp, along with Lissitsky and Moholy-Nagy. Quits working at the Peeters-Lacroix factory and starts drawing advertising posters. Finds his first buyer, the singer Evelyne Brélia. Publishes aphorisms in Picabia’s journal 351 . Meets Marcel Lecomte and Camille Goemans. Stops composing abstract work and paints La Fenêtre that he considers his first painting. Publishes the journal Oesophage with E.L.T. Mesens. Discovers the work of Giorgio de Chirico and a copy of Le Chant d’Amour thanks to Marcel Lecomte. Meets Paul Souris and Paul Nougé. Paints Le jockey perdu, his first surrealist painting. Contract with the Le Centaure gallery in Brussels. First solo exhibition at the Le Centaure gallery in Brussels. Meets Louis Scutenaire who becomes a close friend. Moves to the Parisian suburb Perreux-sur-Marne in August and participates amongst the Parisian surrealist group. Meets Arp, Breton, Miró and Dalí. Exhibition at Mesens’ L’Epoque gallery in Brussels. Publishes texts and drawings in Nougé’s journal Distances. Participates in the surrealist exhibition at Goemans Gallery in Paris. Publishes 5 pamphlets, Le sens propre, written in collaboration with Goemans. Spends his summer in Cadaques with Dalí where he meets up with Gala and Paul Eluard. In December the journal La révolution surréaliste publishes its article Les mots et les images. The relationship with Breton starts to deteriorate. Returns to Brussels, continues to work for advertising to cope financially. Solo exhibition at Salle Giso in Brussels. Joins the Belgian Communist Party. Meets Paul Colinet. Solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels. Collaborates in the compendium Violette Nozières. Accused of murdering her father for having raped her, Violette was the protagonist in the book that was collectively published by the surrealists. Magritte contributes with a drawing. Le viol, a cover illustration for Breton’s Qu’est ce que le surréalisme. Participates in the Minotaure Exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels. First Solo exhibition in New York at the Julien Levy Gallery. Solo exhibitions at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels and at the Esher Surrey Art Gallery in The Hague. In May he participates in the “Exposition surréaliste d’objets” at the Charles Ratton gallery in Paris, the International Surrealist Exhibition in London and the Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He renews his membership to the Belgian Communist Party. Spends a few weeks with Edward James in London where he gives a conference on his work at the “Young Belgian Artists” exhibition. In June he goes to Japan where his painting l'Épouvantail is displayed at the surrealist exhibition. His work is present at the “Exposition de l’art belge contemporain” that takes place in Moscow and Leningrad. In July he meets Marcel Mariën. Solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. Designs the cover of the 10th journal of the Minotaure series. In December he displays 24 canvasses at the “Trois peintres surréalistes. René Magritte, Man Ray, Yves Tanguy” exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels.
1938 1939 1940 1941 1943
1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1964 1965
1966 1967
Solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. Participates in “Exposition internationale du surréalisme” in Paris and Amsterdam. Solo exhibition at the London Gallery. Solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels. Collaborates in Raoul Ubac’s L’invention collective. Leaves Begium in May with his wife and Louis and Irène Scutenaire and moves to Carcassonne for three months. Solo exhibition at Galerie Dietrich in Brussels in January. Temporarily renounces his usual painting techniques to adopt an impressionist style that characterizes his “période Renoir” or “du plein soleil” period, which he pursues until 1947. He readopts his usual technique in 1945. First monograph of Magritte by Marcel Mariën in August, followed in October by Paul Nougé's work René Magritte ou les images défendues. Solo exhibition at Galerie Dietrich in Brussels. In September he renews his membership to the Belgian Communist Party for the last time. He leaves the party a few months later. Organizes the exhibition “Surréalisme. Exposition de tableaux, dessins, photos et textes” at the Galerie des Editions La Boetie in Brussels. Writes in collaboration with Mariën subversive leaflets that were seized by the police before their distribution. Illustrates Paul Eluard’s Les nécessités de la vie et les conséquences des rêves, précédé d’Exemples. Draws the cover page for the New York journal View (“Surrealism in Belgium ”) that introduced surrealism in the United States. Solo exhibitions at the Société royale des Beaux-arts in Verviers, as well as the Hugo Gallery in New York. One of the owners, Alexandre Iolas, becomes his dealer. Louis Scutenaire publishes Magritte’s monograph. Solo exhibitions at Galerie Dietrich in Brussels, the Hugo Gallery in New York and Galerie du Faubourg (the first in Paris in which he displays his work from his brief period known as “période vache”) Solo exhibition at Charleroi. Solo exhibitions at the Hugo Gallery in New York and Galerie Dietrich in Brussels. Paints the ceiling of the Théâtre royal des Galeries in Brussels. Exhibition with Paul Delvaux at the Casino communal in Knokke-le-Zoute. Creates La carte d’après nature that appeared until 1956, each in the form of postcards. Solo exhibition at Galleria dell’Obelisco in Rome and the Alexandre Iolas Gallery in New York. Paints the walls of the games room of the Casino in Knokke-le-Zoute: Le domaine enchanté, composed of eight large canvasses. Solo exhibition at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York. First retrospective at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Brussels, organized by E.L.T. Mesens. Participates in the Venice Biennial. Retrospective exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-arts in Charleroi. Awarded the Guggenheim Award. Paints La fée ignorante for the Palais des Beaux-arts in Charleroi. Solo exhibition at the Alexandre Iolas Gallery in New York and Galerie “Cahiers d’art” in Paris. Solo exhibition at the Alexandre Iolas Gallery in New York . Retrospective at the Musée d’Ixelles. Ten drawings illustrate Mesens’ Poèmes 1923-1958. Exhibition at Galerie Rive droite in Paris. Stays in Paris where he visits Breton. In October, Suzi Gablik stays with the Magrittes and starts her monograph that will be published in London in 1970. Retrospectives at the Musée des Beaux-arts in Liège, the Museum for Contemporary Arts in Dallas and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Collaborates in André Bosmans’ journal Rhétorique. Paints les barricades mystérieuses for the Salle de Congrès in Brussels. Retrospectives at the Grossenor Gallery and Obelisk Gallery in London. Solo exhibitions at the Alexandre Iolas Gallery in New York and Galleria Schwarz in Milan. Retrospectives at the Casino communal in Knokke-le-Zoute and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Solo exhibition at Galerie Alexandre Iolas in Paris and New York in 1965. Henri Michaux publishes his essay on Magritte entitled En rêvant a partir de peintures énigmatiques for December series of Mercure de France. Solo exhibition at Little Rock. Patrick Waldberg’s monograph is published in Brussels. Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, due to which René Magritte and his wife Georgette move to the United States for the first time. This exhibition will subsequently take place at Brandeis University, Chicago, Berkeley and Pasadena. James Thrall Sobey’s monograph is published in New York. Georgette and René Magritte travel to Israel. Solo exhibition at Galerie Alexandre Iolas in Paris. Magritte travels to Italy where he works on wax molds for the sculptures to be cast in bronze. On the 15th ofAugust René Magritte succumbs to cancer of the pancreas in Brussels.
Les Menottes de Cuivre A) Patinated and hand-painted bronze Edition limited as follows: 250 exemplaries numbered 1/250 to 250/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the plaster cast reproduction of the Venus de Milo painted by René Magritte in 1931. Height: 18 3/4" (47,5 cm) B) Patinated and hand-painted bronze Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/150 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the plaster cast reproduction of the Venus de Milo, painted by René Magritte in 1931. Height: 41 1/3" (105 cm) Litterature: P. Waldberg, René Magritte, Brussels, 1965, p. 9 (original sculpture, illustrated) D. Sylvester, Magritte, Antwerp, 1992, p. 261 (original sculpture, illustrated) S. Gohr, Magritte, Magritte: Attempting the Impossible, Antwerp, 2009, no. 420, p. 307 (original sculpture, illustrated) D. Ottinger, Dictionnaire de l'objet Surréaliste, Paris, 2013, p. 193 (illustrated) Exhibited: Paris, Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Le Surréalisme et l'objet, October 2013-March 2014
Vénus de Milo ca 130 and 100 BC Marble Musée du Louvre
According to Sylvester, Magritte painted the Venus de Milo four consecutive times (1931, 1934, and 1936) in an attempt to give her a new “unexpected life”. That of 1931 was ordered by Louis Scutenaire and Irene Hamoir after having seen a similar one in Magritte’s workshop that was about to be handed to a collector, probably Claude Spaak. That of 1934, slightly bigger, figured in the London Gallery exhibition of 1937 as well as in 1938 (same place) for a personal exhibition. She would have belonged to Magritte himself, Mesens and Roland Penrose. It was still located in London in 1940 when destroyed due to bombings. Finally, that of 1936 was destined to be exhibited at Charles Ratton’s in the same year. "Magritte spoke of it in a letter dated 19 March 1936 to André Breton, who was, of course, closely involved in the organization of the show: Cet objet rappelle les masques sur lesquels je peignais le ciel, ou une forêt. Ici, la tête est blanche, le corps est de la couleur de la chair, la draperie est bleue, le socle et les sections des bras et du pied sont noirs. A mon sens cela redonne à la Venus une vie inattendue. This object is reminiscent of the masks on which I used to paint the sky, or a forest. Here, the head is white, the body is flesh-coloured, the drapery is blue, the base and the arms and feet are black. In my opinion this gives the Venus new and unexpected life.
Magritte, earlier in the letter, asked Breron to find a title for the Venus [...] Breton responded in a letter dated 8 April 1936: Je me résigne à vous proposer un titre purement poétique: 'Les Menottes de cuivre' qui me paraît surtout avoir l'avantage d'incorporer à l'objet une couleur supplémentaire sans introduire pour cela l'arbitraire puisque le cuivre est le métal correspondant à Venus. Dites-moi si cela peut convenir à la rigueur. I resign myself to proposing a purely poetic title: the “Copper Handcuffs” which I believe has the advantage of incorporating a new colour in the object yet without introducing the arbitrary as copper is the metal corresponding to the Venus.
The proposed title was adopted both for this work and for previous versions." (in D. Sylvester, ed., René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné: Oil Paintings, Objects and Bronzes 1931-1948, New York, 1993, vol. II, pp. 423, 426, 427, 447, no. 673, 677, 678) The exhibition Le Surréalisme et l'objet help by the Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris from October 2013 to March 2014, hosts a 47 cm-high bronze sculpture of this edition, which also illustrates the Dictionnaire de l'objet surréaliste, published under the direction of Didier Ottinger, curator of the exhibition.
Les Menottes de cuivre - 1931 Painted plaster cast 37 cm Private collection
La Joconde Patinated bronze Edition limited as follows: 250 exemplaries numbered 1/250 to 250/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the bronze cast of the similar sculpture, 1967, designed by RenĂŠ Magritte. 34 1/4 x 22 x 13" (83 x 56 x 33 cm)
Magritte's working drawings, 1967 ballpoint on paper as reproduced in Paris Iolas 1969 Private collection
In January 1967, seven months before his death, Magritte decided to produce sculptures based on his most emblematic paintings. He translated 8 of his works into large scale sculptures in 3 dimensions enabling him to express the true nature of his work with strange and incongruous objects and patterns. According to his merchant Iolas, Magritte had thought of painting a sky "à la Magritte" on the biggest of curtains, the same way he had done in his paintings. One of the two preparatory drawings of the sculptures was reproduced in Iolas’ catalogue and depicted a pencil drawing of the latter curtains. The artist’s proof of this sculpture was sent in 1968 to Georgette Magritte, the artist’s widow and was sold to London’s Sotheby’s during the dispersion of Magritte’s workshop. The sculpture is based on La Joconde painting, 1960, composed of three independent curtains, one of which Magritte’s works’ inherent sky and clouds was painted upon, and a ringbell also found in many of Magritte’s artworks. Magritte used this curtain motif in numerous paintings and drawings during the last decade of his life (L’Image en soi, 1961, a similar composition painted for André Breton, Le Beau Monde, 1962, La Peine perdue, 1962, commissioned by Harry Torczyner). The title was found by Suzi Gablick, an American historian of art that lived with the Magritte during the time of her work on the artist in that period. The painting therefore unites certain elements that are most reoccurring in Magritte’s iconography (the sky, the sphere, the curtains), all represented on a neutral background unlike the other series of “curtains”. The composition is dominated by these monumental curtains with which Magritte juxtaposes opposites (the paradox of hiding or revealing, the contrast between nature and human creations, the interiors and exteriors), and by confronting these elements Magritte evokes the essential Surrealist paradigm. This paradigm consists of questioning ourselves on the purpose and significance that we attribute to different objects and to reveal new significances by placing these objects in different contexts. The central curtain with its harsh edges can evoke certain collages of cut paper produced during the 20s and Magritte had the following explanation regarding the mixture of the sky and the curtain: “the sky takes the shape ofa curtain because it is hiding something. . . we are surrounded by curtains ”. Therefore, we can see through these curtains the deceptive nature of the painted object compared to what it really represents, thus explaining the “staging” of the curtains similar to a theatre stage.
RenĂŠ Magritte, La Joconde, 1960 Oil on canvas 70 x 50 cm Private Collection
RenĂŠ Magritte, La Joconde, 1967 Bronze 248 x 177 x 99,5 cm Private Collection
Tête Hand-painted bronze Edition limited as follows: 250 exemplaries numbered 1/250 to 250/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint at the back. Casted by in France, after the plaster cast, painted by René Magritte in 1960. Height: 15 3/4" (40 cm) Litterature: Sotheby's, The Remaining Contents ofthe Studio ofRené Magritte (auction catalogue), London, July 2nd, 1987, lot no. 865 J. Meuris, Magritte, Paris, 1988, no. 306, p. 200 (original sculpture, illustrated) S. Gohr, Magritte: Attempting the Impossible, Antwerp, 2009, no. 418, p. 307 (original sculpture, illustrated)
René Magritte, La Mémoire, 1948 Oil on canvas 60 x 50 cm Private Collection
Giorgio De Chirico, Le Chant d'Amour, 1914 Oil on canvas 73 × 59,1 cm Museum of Modern Art, New York
According to Sylvester, "it is one of the two identical versions of this plaster head painted blue that can plausibly be dated from their appearance in two of Magritte’s films: first, unpainted in a film of the late 1950s and then, painted, in a film made 1960." (in D. Sylvester, ed., René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné: Oil Paintings, Objects and Bronzes 1949-1967, New York, 1993, vol. III, p. 455, no. 1080 and 1081) The casts, which could possibly have come from the Maison Berger, are identical to that used by Magritte for multiple versions of La Mémoire (paintings: 1942, 1945, 1948, painted objects in 1942 & 1945) or of the paintings Deep Waters (1941). The first belonged to Georgette Magritte and was sold at London’s Sotheby’s during Magritte’s workshop’s dispersion (lot no. 865), the other was acquired by Leontine Hoyez-Berger (Magritte’s sister in law) and given to a collector. Concerning the paintings: the title “La Mémoire” is thought to have been found by Marïen. The Head, of which Magritte had bought multiple examples at the Maison Berger is a cast of a non-identified sculpture. According to Leontine Hoyez-Berger, it could be “L’inconnue de la Seine” (a young woman of unknown identity whose mortuary mask became a popular ornament on the walls of artists’ houses after 1900. Her face is the source of inspiration for many works of literature, as much in French as in other languages). She was proven to be wrong, however the fact that she had thought of the link with the mortuary mask is interesting as it is probable that Magritte had thought of the same thing. The composition of “La Mémoire” paintings is interesting in the case of Magritte’s work: it can remind us of ‘ The Song of Love’ of De Chirico: thanks to a reproduction, Magritte discovered in 1923 this painting of De Chirico (1888-1978). The metaphysical Italian painter introduces in the world of appearances, mysterious poetry. The familiar and common object becomes enigmatic. Troubling silence and shadows are integrated into still spaces. Magritte up until then had stated that neither cubism, nor futurism nor abstract art had enabled him to “render observable the reality of the world”, however he was deeply moved by De Chirico’s piece. He considers it as the work of: “the greatest painter of our time as it develops the ascendance of poetry on painting and the varied techniques of painting”. He also stated that De Chirico was the first to: “dream of what had to be painted instead of the way it had to be painted”. This discovery marked the start of his surrealist research and a little time later (1926) Magritte did the painting The Lost Jockey, considered as his first surrealist piece.
RenĂŠ Magritte, TĂŞte, 1960 Painted plaster cast Height: 25 cm Private Collection
Le Bouchon d'ĂŠpouvante Patinated bronze and hand-painted brass label Edition limited as follows: 250 exemplaries numbered 1/250 to 250/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the object realized by the RenĂŠ Magritte in 1966 (bowler hat and label). Height: 6' (15 cm) Litterature: J. Meuris, Magritte, Paris, 1988, no. 317, p. 204 (original sculpture, illustrated) D. Sylvester, Magritte, Antwerp, 1992, p. 267 (original sculpture, illustrated)
RenĂŠ Magritte, Le Bouchon d'ĂŠpouvante, 1966 Etching, from an edition of 17 ex. 18 x 13 cm
Letter to Marcel Mabille, 21 May 1 9 66
"In a letter of 21 May 1966, Magritte gave Marcel Mabille instructions for making this object. The oil painting of the image was already completed, or nearly so. He wrote: Mon cher Mabille Pour ajouter à votre collection d'objets imaginés par moi, je vous propose ceci : Il s'agit d'un 'chapeau boule' sur lequel une étiquette est collée. Si vous désirez cet objet, voici le moyen 'd'opérer'. 1° Vous achetez un 'chapeau boule' noir 2° Vous faites imprimer une étiquette comme celles qui se trouvent sur les anciens bocaux de pharmaciens, qui est à coller sur le chapeau : en papier doré, lettres 'bloc' en noir et encadrement en noir. L'objet s'appelle 'Le bouchon d'épouvante' My dear Mabille, In order to add to your collection of objects dreamt by me, I would suggest the following. It consists of a 'bowler hat' onto which a label is glued. Ifyou want this object, here is the 'modus operandi' 1. you buy a black bowler hat 2. you get a label printed like those on old pharmacy jars to be stuck on the hat: on gold paper in black 'blocks' letters with a black border. The object will be called 'the horrendous stopper. '
Mabille said later that Magritte signed three labels for him, all printed in red and black on white paper, of which two were used to create versions of this object. " (in D. Sylvester, ed., René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné: Oil Paintings, Objects and Bronzes 1949-1967, New York, 1993, vol. III, p. 458, no. 1086).
RenĂŠ Magritte, Le Bouchon d'ĂŠpouvante, 1966 printed label on bowler hat 14,3 x 25,5 x 31,2 cm Private collection
Multiples Editions after René Magritte The five following sculptures were made after the paintings of René Magritte « La valse hésitation », « Le prêtre marié », « Souvenir de voyage », « Un peu de l'âme des bandits » and « Le beau monde ». The eight bronze sculptures of 1967 were the result of an encounter between René Magritte and his publisher and dealer, Alexander Iolas. The five sculptures I present here are the result of my meeting with Charly Herscovici, legal successor of René Magritte and Chairman of the Magritte Foundation. Magritte had imagined the eight sculptures of 1967 as three-dimensional interpretations of his own paintings. I used this same approach in choosing these sculptures. The five works I chose are those which « traverse » Magritte’s work : the apples, the masked faces, the musical instruments and the curtains found in so many of Magritte’s pantings beginning early on and continuing until the end of his career. These objects evoke poetry, mystery, dissimulation and all themes dear to the artist. The series of the masked apples, « La valse hésitation », « Le prêtre marié » and « Souvenir de voyage » invoke these apples that Magritte slipped into his works. Sometimes they are in front of his own face, replacing the subject’s head, filling an entire room, or holding up a table. The apple is even no longer an apple in « This Is Not An Apple » (1964) ! The masked apples bearing these poetic titles have exactly the opposite role of the inanimate apples so often found in his paintings : he gave them life by covering them with this mask. « Un peu de l'âme des bandits » is the bronze edition of a painting of the same name completed in 1960. It shows a violin placed on the collar of a ceremonial shirt. Finally, « Le beau monde » is the bronze edition of the painting of the same name completed in 1962. There are three curtains of a blue patina similar to the skies of Brussels Magritte painted so many times, and which became symbolic of his work, in the same way as the apple we find here placed at the foot of the curtains. Each sculpture is numbered and bears Magritte’s signature and the foundry mark. It bears the mark of Succession René Magritte, and also the thumb imprint of Charly Herscovici. PHILIPPE MORENO
Le Prêtre Marié Patinated bronze Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/150 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Inscribed "bronze cast after the oil on canvas "Le Prêtre Marié" 1960 of René Magritte" under the base. Casted in France, after the painting by René Magritte Le Prêtre Marié, 1950. Height: 6 3/4" (17 cm)
René Magritte, Le Prêtre Marié, 1966 Gouache on paper 28,8 x 41 cm Private collection
René Magritte, Le Prêtre Marié, 1950 Oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm Private collection
René Magritte, La valse hésitation ou le prêtre marié, 1955 Gouache on paper 26 x 35 cm Private collection
René Magritte, La valse hésitation, 1955 or 1956 Gouache on paper 17,5 x 22,3 cm Private collection
The masked apple originally appeared in Magritte's work as the design for a cover for an edition of View, published in December 1946. Other covers for View had been designed by artists as diverse as Joseph Cornell, André Masson and Marcel Duchamp. Clearly, Magritte was pleased with his image, as he returned to the theme of the masked apple in several paintings over the following decade and a half, exploring various compositions and variations. In Magritte's, the masked apple is a dynamic character, shown against a vivid, shimmering background. This added a sense of movement that Magritte has deliberately dispelled in Le prêtre marié, where the stillness is both unnatural and, of course, in the case of the apple-subjects, entirely natural. Masks, disguises, hidden faces-- all these are repeated motifs in Magritte's pictures. Whether it is in the images of lovers from the 1920s, with sheets covering their kissing heads, the figure of Fantômas in Le barbare or later the apple floating in front of the artist's own face in Le fils de l'homme, these elements introduce a notion of the malleability and illegibility of character, of identity, of selfhood, of life. They are elements used to hide, but also to entertain. They are the accoutrement of the criminal and the Cover for View, 1946 actor alike, and in both cases conjure a vivid theatricality. But be it upon the stage or on a moonlit night in the middle of nowhere, these masks are unsettling, as they hide information. They introduce subterfuge, be it in the leisurely suspension-of-disbelief context of the stage or in the more disturbing context of someone concealing their own identity. In Le prêtre marié, the masks actually appear to perform almost the opposite function of some of those other works-- where on human figures, masks and other elements remove any possibility of identification, and thereby remove some of the humanity of the subject, here the masked apples are lent a suspicion of impossible humanity by their masks. They in fact gain character, becoming entertaining, even rakish figures on the beach, rather than mere abandoned fruit. It is through the inclusion of the masks that all our questions emerge, all the implications of possible back-stories that make these apples so intriguing. This simple adornment, added to an inanimate object, dispels the literalness of the scene and introduces a wild card, a joker, an element of unpredictability that engages the viewer actively, presenting the apples as intriguing mysteries that are of course impossible to solve.
René Magritte, Le Prêtre Marié, 1960 Oil on Canvas 46 x 55 cm Private Collection
La Valse Hésitation Casted in France, after the painting by René Magritte La Valse Hésitation, 1960. Patinated bronze A) Height: 5 3/4" (15 cm) Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/150 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Inscribed "bronze cast after the oil on canvas "La Valse Hésitation" 1950 of René Magritte" under the base. B) Height: 9 4/5" (25 cm) Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/150 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Inscribed "bronze cast after the oil on canvas "La Valse Hésitation" 1950 of René Magritte" under the base. C) Height: 15 3/4" (40 cm) Edition limited as follows: 50 exemplaries numbered 1/50 to 50/50 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Inscribed "bronze cast after the oil on canvas "La Valse Hésitation" 1950 of René Magritte" under the base.
René Magritte
La Valse Hésitation , 1950
Oil on Canvas 35 x 46 cm Private Collection
Souvenir de Voyage Patinated bronze Casted in France, after the gouache on paper by RenĂŠ Magritte, 1961.
Souvenir de Voyage,
A) Height: 17 3/4" (30 cm) Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/150 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 B) Height: 19 1/2" (60 cm) Edition limited as follows: 50 exemplaries numbered 1/50 to 50/50 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Inscribed "bronze cast after the gouache on paper "Souvenir de voyage" 1961 of RenĂŠ Magritte" under the base.
RenĂŠ Magritte, Souvenir de Voyage, 1961 Gouache on paper 35 x 46 cm Private Collection
Un peu de l'âme des bandits Patinated bronze Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the painting by René Magritte 1960. Height: 19 3/4" (50 cm)
Un peu de l'âme des bandits,
Sketch in letter to AndrĂŠ Bosmans, 19 July 1960.
"Un peu de l'âme des bandits" is the result ofan inspiration which occured at the end ofthe research necessitated by the problem ofthe violin: as always, from the beginning ofthe research, the solution was contained in the first drawing (which included a 'knot'), I had to discover what it indicated: the white knot of a formal collar. The first image is 'good' and would be worth painting, even though it is not an answer to the problem (René Magritte to
André Bosmans - letter dated July 19th, 1960).
The following illustration, a page of sketches, appear to illustrate the progression of Magritte's search for the solution to the "problem" of the violin. The numbering of the sketches suggests that they may have been done later, in order to demonstrate the method that had led to the discovery. The title "Un peu de l'âme des bandits" is the title of a book written in 1913 by Emile Michon about the gang of thieves known as the 'Bande à Bonnot' after their leader, Jules Bonnot.
Sketches relating to the work. Private Collection
René Magritte, Un peu de l'âme des bandit, 1960 Oil on canvas 65 x 50 cm Private Collection
Le Beau Monde Patinated bronze Edition limited as follows: 150 exemplaries numbered 1/150 to 150/250 20 artist's proof exemplaries numbered EA 1/20 to EA 20/20 All inscribed with Magritte signature, Magritte Succession hallmark, stamped by the foundry and with Mr. Herscovici's casted thumbprint under the base. Casted in France, after the painting by RenĂŠ Magritte Le Beau Monde, 1962. Height: 41 1/3" (105 cm)
René Magritte, La peine perdue, 1962 Oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm Private collection
René Magritte, La Joconde, 1962 Gouache on paper 35,2 x 26,5 cm French Community of Belgium (on deposit to the Musée Magritte Museum, Brussels)
“We are surrounded by curtains”, Magritte writes. “We only perceive the world behind a curtain of semblance. At the same time, an object needs to be covered in order to be recognized at all. ” The veiling and unveiling of things hidden is a recurring leitmotif in his œuvre. Curtains, picture frames, window openings, and easels are elements which he employed to stage his “picture-within-the-picture” compositions. His ideas of “invisible visibility” and of the picture as “thought made visible” formed the basis of such works. Magritte’s Le beau monde can be considered part of a series of paintings that explored the theme of the occult through the use of recurrent elements such as the clouded skies and curtains. A variation on La Joconde of 1960, the predominant blue and the positioning of singular draped curtains were employed by the artist in L’image en soi, 1961, L’ovation, 1962, as well as La peine perdue, 1962. The painting is composed of two draped curtains standing against a clouded sky. Between them materializes a figure of cloud-dotted sky adopting the shape of the drapes and in the forefront a green apple of significant size attracts the viewer’s eye. The curtains are abundantly used in the artist’s work and resemble the sort one finds in theatres, thus serving as objects that reveal the unknown. In his analysis of these curtains Jacques Meuris explains: One way of looking at them is as a technical device. They are usually shown with loops, giving them the appearance ofopen stage drapes, and they enable the artist, through a process ofoptical illusion, to locate the planes of his image within the pictorial space. Another way of looking at these drapes is a way of suggesting the fallacious nature ofthe painted picture in relation to what it actually represents. Hence the idea ofthe stage set, to which the drapes lend emphasis. (Meuris, J. Magritte, Greenwich Editions 1988, p.
169)
René Magritte, Les mémoires d'un saint, 1960 Oil on canvas 80 x 100 cm Houston, The Menil Collection
RenĂŠ Magritte, Le Beau Monde, 1962 Oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm Private Collection
Photo credits All: © C. Herscovici, ADAGP Paris 2013 except: p.22 (de Chirico, Le chant d'Amour): ©ADAGP Paris 2013 Text credits Les menottes de cuivre, La Joconde, Tête, Le bouchon d'épouvante: D. Sylvester & S. Whitfield, René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné, Antwerp, New York, Fonds Mercator/Menil Foundation, 1992-1993, 5 vol.
All rights reserved ©2014, Artvalue.com, Luxembourg No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electric or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher Printed in Belgium in January 2014