Last time a major show about Rene Magritte happened was in 1992 at the Hayward gallery, London. This time, Tate Liverpool is having a go at presenting us a character known to be a sexual obsessive with a twisted mind – the perfect definition of a surrealist painter, some would say, which Rene Magritte was.
Reading about his biography and it does not take long to get to the bottom of his deviance. Rene Magritte saw his mum getting pulled out of the river she threw herself in, she only had her nightdress wrapped around her head, the rest was naked. Rene Magritte was 14.
A direct link to this traumatic event can definitely be seen in The Lovers, painting he made in 1928 and on display at the Tate Liverpool for this show.
Commercial works have also taken a large place in Rene Magritte’s life and this show dedicates a large section to them – Rene Magritte did not get rich until late in his career and resorted some freelance graphic design work. One of his main clients was the Belgian couture house Norine.
What – René Magritte: The Pleasure Principle
Where – Tate (Liverpool)
When – 24 June – 16 October 2011
Related links
René Magritte: The artist who turned the world on its head (The Telegraph)
René Magritte: The Pleasure Principle – exhibition (The Guardian)