Magritte, René

Highly important archive of unpublished autograph letters signed ("René Magritte" and "Magritte"), and fragments of letters to his dealer, Alexander Iolas, with thirty-six detailed sketches in ball point (one in ball point and colored pencil and one in pencil) integrated in the text of the letters and fragments, and both manuscript and typed pages all relating to exhibitions of his work at Hugo Gallery in New York including listings of his works, an essay for the gallery catalogue and text for each work to be exhibited to engage the viewer, mostly in French, 40 pages, Brussels, 2 March 1947 to 23 July 1957 (numerous letters, fragments and pages undated); one letter with lower portion cut out, slight marginal yellowing of some pages.

Harry Torczyner, Magritte Ideas and Images, (New York, 1977); René Magritte: The Key to Dreams, ed. BA-CA Kunstforum, Vienna and Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel (Belgium, 2005)

An exceptional and supremely insightful collection of unpublished letters and documents from Magritte to his art dealer Alexander Iolas.

Beginnings of international recognition. Early in 1946, Magritte was approached with the idea of an exhibition of his works at the Hugo Gallery in New York. Formerly a dancer, its director Alexander Iolas entered the art business after retiring from the stage due to injury.  Aware of the increasing interest in surrealism because of the influx of artists from this circle during World War II, Iolas soon becomes Magritte's most important agent. A faithful friendship develops and Magritte achieves international recognition, in large part, to Iolas and Hugo Gallery. Beginning in March of 1947 with a listing of works for his first exhibition at Hugo Gallery in April of 1947, Magritte's correspondence is textually and visually sumptuous. 

Written in the  unmistakably clear and deliberate penmanship that  he used for adding text to his paintings, Magritte's letters are a remarkable distillation of the word/image interdependence which was central to his artistic objective. The present post-war correspondence reveals the tight control he exerted over the presentation and marketing of his exhibitions. In a number of the letters he even draws images of how his works should be framed. The letters also evidence the integral role of language and the  importance of the written word  in  the creation of his art. In two undated manuscript pages entitled "Catalogue" Magritte proceeds to list twenty-nine works with accompanying text for each to guide the viewer: " . . . 3. The Liberator (Le libérateur). Le libérateur habite un paysage dont la logique ne conduit pas à la folie . . .15. Shéhérazade. Les regards, les baisers et les perles font aimer les beaux contes d'amour . . . 25. Le jockey perdu. Le jockey n'est perdu que par son imbécillité . . . ." In another undated manuscript page for an exhibition catalogue, entitled, "Un art poétique," Magritte states that his paintings are a visual manifestation of poetry. What lies herewith in the present correspondence is a poetic manifestation of his visual ideas. In some cases, Magritte's explanations for his most uncanny images are almost as cryptic as the images themselves, which are often sketched with great refinement in the margins and amid the text of his letters.

Some of Magritte's most iconic post-war images make their debut in this cache of manuscripts including the faceless character of Le Libérateur, the chair-upon-a-chair in La Légendes des siècles and the juxtaposition of wildly opposing objects in Le Coup au coeur and L'Explication. These motifs would appear in various incarnations in Magritte's most well-known paintings of the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to Iolas. For it was Iolas who encouraged Magritte to create replicas, variations, and further refinements of his most popular and successful works.

Sales of Magritte's works continuously increased in the 1950s at Hugo Gallery and Magritte received commissions from many other clients as well. Magritte achieved true international acclaim. By the end of the 1950s art dealers the world over made proposals to Magritte but he firmly refused them all and remained faithful to Iolas. Magritte never forgot that Iolas encouraged him and continued to represent him despite the complete failure of his first show in April 1947 at which not a single canvas was sold.

Unpublished letters by Magritte incorporating drawings are excessively rare.