The new Magritte Museum opened its doors in June. We went for a visit in August with children in tow and I’m happy we did. It was a very agreeable experience – good space, well-hung pictures and thought-provoking.
We stood for a long time under a set of panels that hang infront of the entrance to the museum proper. Each panel shows a different picture, and it was the children who first noticed how the pictures are related to each other. The more you look, the more you see. Excellent way of getting the kids’ attention.
The audio guide drove me batty. Loads of info, which was good, but given at the wrong time. Better if you are standing infront of a picture, first to have info about that picture, rather than 5 mins later. I’m a big fan of ‘press this number if you want more info’. Anyway. (It also meant that my eldest son (who insists on listening to every word) would still be there if we hadn’t gone to find him…)
Apparently Magritte did not title his pictures himself. He got his pals together and made them choose titles for him. And both he and his wife always maintained that there was nothing psychological to be read into the pictures. Which, of course, suggests the opposite…
I rather agree with Breton and the other critics about the ‘surrealism in full sunlight’ period. My favourite was The Dominion of Light.
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