Influential surrealist painter, René Magritte has finally made his Australian debut at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Over 100 iconic works of the renowned Belgian artist are on display including the signature motifs of bowler hats, clouds, pipes, and apples that have become ingrained in contemporary pop culture as we know it. Spanning Magritte’s illustrious four-decade career, the showcase explores his early avant-garde experiments from the 1920s, during the height of the surrealist movement, and the celebrated paintings from his later years.
Magritte, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Magritte’s influence is pervasive in pop culture, spanning music, fashion, film, and television. By placing everyday, seemingly mundane objects in surprising settings, he crafted a distinctive style within the Surrealist movement with a comical quality to boot, and his works continue to provoke thought just as powerfully today. Characterised by dreamlike and often irrational works, the Surrealist movement is a cultural and artistic style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s between World Wars I and II.
The exhibition features over 100 works, sourced from around the globe, including pieces from MoMA in New York, the Musée Magritte in Brussels, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., along with selections from various other museums and private collections. Among these are The Meaning of Night (1927), The Philosophical Lamp (1936), A Stroke of Luck (1945), and one of his most renowned paintings Golconda (1953)
The Magritte exhibition is now open at the Art Gallery of NSW and will run until February 9, 2025. This is a ticketed event, with prices starting at $30 for members and $35 for adults and you can also save by scoring two-for-one tickets on Wednesday nights. Buy your tickets on the AGNSW website.