The Hodler, Monet and Munch exhibitionSee previous entry) at the Marmottan-Monet museum calls into question the prejudice of how art is supposed to be ‘seen’, interpreted, felt, understood. That attracts more than a little attention. But then it’s barely under way and along comes Magritte.
Beyond the idea that ‘some things are not what they appear to be’, the Belgian surrealist painter/philosopher René Magritte exposes the disturbing ‘alienness’ beneath the surface of our attempts to impart meaning and familiarity on everything around us. Exposed to Magritte’s art, the fragile abstract nature of how we categorise things is revealed. The famous—or infamous—‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’ (This isn’t a pipe) brings this to light.
The exhibition ‘Magritte: La trahison des images’ (The Treachery of Images) brings together famous and lesser-known works. The Centre Pompidou presentation is a “…a completely new approach…focusing on the artist’s interest in philosophy”—well intentioned but likely to have been called into question by the supposed ‘enfant terrible’ René Magritte. Perhaps it adds to the charm; another reason why the queues are long and ‘The Magritte Event’ is the talk of the town.
Not even a month in, with the crowds assembling at the Centre Pompidou day and night (well-located near Paris Bike Tour), another evening opening has been added to ease the flow of visitors. Mondays and Thursdays the exhibit is now open until 11pm.
Always provocative, the never before assembled wide variety of work displaying the philosophy and art of René Magritte removes you from the mundane and timelessly challenges you. It's worth the queue.
Information:
Official site: Magritte - The betrayal of images
Centre Pompidou, galerie 2, level 6
From 21 September 2016 to 23 January 2017
Every day: 11am to 9pm; Closed on Tuesdays. Open until 11pm on Mondays and Thursdays.
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