Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938

Published in conjunction with a major exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in collaboration with The Menil Collection, Houston, and The Art Institute of Chicago, Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926 1938 focuses on the breakthrough Surrealist years of Ren Magritte, creator of some of the twentieth century s most extraordinary images. Bringing together nearly 80 paintings, collages and objects with a selection of photographs, periodicals and early commercial work, it offers fresh insight into Magritte s identity as a modern artist and one of Surrealism s greatest painters. Beginning in 1926, when Magritte first aimed to create paintings that would, in his words, challenge the real world, and concluding in 1938--a historically and biographically significant moment just before the outbreak of World War II--the publication traces central strategies and themes from this seminal period, particularly those of displacement, isolation, transformation, metamorphosis, the misnaming of objects and the representation of visions seen in half-waking states. The publication also includes an illustrated chronology outlining significant moments in the artist s life during this period, including travel, connections with other Surrealist artists and writers, contributions to journals and important exhibitions and reviews.