René Magritte: The Fifth Season - May 19–Oct 28, 2018 - SFMOMA

René Magritte: The Fifth Season
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
May 19–October 28, 2018

René Magritte: The Fifth Season begins on the heels of Magritte's Surrealist period, and focuses on the latter half of the artist's career, from 1943 to 1967, a period of remarkable transformation for the artist.

Made possible through loans from collections in Asia, Europe, North America and South America, the exhibit encompasses 70 works, 20 of which are being shown for the first time in the USA. It is the most complete presentation of Magritte’s late work mounted since the artist’s death in 1967.

The exhibit highlights works from a number of distinct themes, with the rooms organized sequentially.

Sunlit Surrealism and the Vache Period

Les Adieux (1943), an example of one of Magritte's 'sunlit surrealist' works
Creative Commons image 09106995@N03 on Flickr 

In 1943, Magritte's work made a surprising shift, rebelling perhaps against war and surrealist conventions. His 'sunlit surrealist' works brought echos of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, while his 'vache' works evoked the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. Widely considered anomalies in Magritte’s iconic style, these paintings are nonetheless interesting when viewed in the context of his life's works.

The Human Condition

How do you see the world from your cave?
Notice the 'invisible' frame on the easel in this example
from The Human Condition (1935) series, Centre Pompidou
Creative Commons image 13149473@N04 on Flickr

Magritte created a series of landscape paintings on easels that seem to merge with the vista through a window behind them, meant to symbolize "how we see the world". His first work in this style, The Human Condition (1933) joins four later works in the exhibit.

Hypertrophy 

A Magritte inspired set piece for the Stratford Festival's 2010 production of As You Like It
Creative Commons image stratfest on Flickr

In the 1950's, Magritte’s 'hypertrophy' series featured everyday objects enlarged to grotesque dimensions, each filling a room from floor to ceiling. Personal Values (1952), from the SFMOMA's collection, is joined by four more in the series: The Listening Room (1952), The Listening Room (1958), The Anniversary (1959) and The Tomb of the Wrestlers (1960). Anticipate the unnerving effect of the jarring alterations of scale.

Bowler-Hatted Men

Dust off your bowler hat! I wonder how many you'll see at the SFMOMA exhibit
Creative Commons 106570454 image on Flickr

Among the bowler hat works on display is The Son of Man (1964), Magritte's most famous work. As it is privately owned, and not on permanent display anywhere, this is a rare chance to see it.

Enchanted Domain

Magritte's The Enchanted Domain sits behind locked doors at the seaside casino in
Knokke, Belgium, but you can see 4 of the 8 scaled studies he created at the SFMOMA

Magritte's largest work, The Enchanted Domain, is a 360-degree panoramic mural (circumference 236'), tucked away in a private room in the Grand Casino in Knokke, Belgium. Fortunately, Magritte also created eight oil paintings, depicting the mural on a 1:6 scale, four of which will be displayed together in the exhibit.

Dominion of Light (Empire of Light)

You'll be able to view 6 of the Dominion of Light series at the SFMOMA
Creative Commons image bichuas on Flickr

Between 1949 and 1965, Magritte painted a series of compelling landscapes in which night and day co-exist. This exhibition presents six of the Dominion of Light (also known as the Empire of Light) canvases together for the first time.

Gravity and Flight

Magritte lava egg?
Creative Commons image greenzowie on Flickr 

Paintings in the final gallery feature immense floating boulders and flying birds, framing the sky. The juxtapositions in Magritte's mysterious works invite a reexamination of basic assumptions of time, space and existence.

Tip: When you are looking at Magritte's works, pay attention to the titles.Titles were very important for Magritte. He gave them a great deal of thought and consulted about them with his Surrealist friends. To convey the significance of the linguistic element in Magritte’s thinking, the curators (tend to leave) the titles of works in the original French with translations into English... [read more].

TO VISIT

May 19–October 28, 2018
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
151 Third Street, San Francisco
Open Friday–Tuesday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Thursday 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Closed Wednesday.
Adult general admission to SFMOMA is $25
Magritte exhibition surcharge is : $8 weekday / $10 weekends
Plan Your Visit - SFMOMA
Exhibition: René Magritte: The Fifth Season - SFMOMA
Magritte Collection - SFMOMA

More on the exhibit
René Magritte: The Fifth Season at SFMOMA - San Francisco Travel
SFMOMA's Worldwide Exclusive Presentation of Magritte's Late Paintings Opens May 19 - Globe Newswire
René Magritte: The Fifth Season' - Art History News Report (great article)
SFMOMA Presents Worldwide Exclusive Exhibition of Magritte's Late Paintings This Spring - ArtFixDaily
'René Magritte: The Fifth Season' Exhibit @ SFMOMA in San Francisco - Magritte Gallery

To learn more
Why Magritte was Fascinated by Bowler Hats - Artsy
Magritte’s L’empire des Lumières Headlines a Strong Showing of Surrealism at Frieze Masters - Artsy
Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1948 - Artsy
René Magritte: List of Works - Artsy
Why the Magritte Foundation Still Authenticates Work, as Other Foundations Back Away - Artsy
Magritte’s Lonely Art - Studio International

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