From Publishers Weekly
"By the standards of Surrealist bohemia and Surrealist chic, [Magritte] might as well have been a grocer," writes Time art critic Robert Hughes in his brief introduction to The Portable Magritte, a glossy, compact collection of 400 works spanning the career of the phlegmatic Belgian painter. Familiar images like the clouded iris of The False Mirror, the seamlessly conjoined canvases and landscapes of The Human Condition and all the men in bowler hats are supplemented by lesser known experiments in cubism, impressionism and expressionism.
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Book Description
The Portable Magritte represents a new approach to the enjoyment and study of art in book form. With more than 400 color reproductions and a compact handheld size, this book manages to be affordable and comprehensive. It's like a catalogue raisonné that fits in a backpack. This accessible format is a perfect match for the paintings of René Magritte-one of the few twentieth-century painters whose works are immediately approachable and who has an enduring cultlike following. His surrealistic and mysterious visions always provoke introspective thought and imagination. All of Magritte's most characteristic and beloved motifs-the green apple, the bowler hat, and the dreamlike twilight hour-make their appearance, along with some surprising lesser-known paintings. The artist's method and meaning is explored in an intriguing essay by Robert Hughes, the art critic for Time magazine and acclaimed commentator on art and culture. A hip and current update on this timeless artist, The Portable Magritte makes an ideal gift for students as well as art lovers of any age.
