New Magritte added to the collection
One of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s long-held ambitions has been achieved with the acquisition of ‘Le miroir vivant’ by René Magritte.
‘Le miroir vivant’ was made in 1928 by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte and is one of his early works. Nowadays it is rare that a painting from those early years comes on to the market, which makes it a unique purchase.
Successful Purchase!
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has several works of art from Magritte’s better-known later oeuvre, but the museum had long been keen to acquire an early work. In January 2016 it finally succeeded in adding a work from this period to Boijmans’s large collection of surrealists.
The purchase would not have been possible without the generous support of the Vereniging Rembrandt (thanks in part to the Dura Kunstfonds), the Willem van Rede Fund, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Foundation, the BankGiro Loterij, the Mondrian Fund and the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund (thanks in part to the Breeman Talle Fund).
The Living Mirror
‘Le miroir vivant’ is one of a group of forty word and image paintings. Its use of language as image makes it an experimental work of art. Four interconnected white clouds each feature a short, enigmatic text.
The words ‘personnage éclatant de rire’ (person roaring with laughter), ‘armoire’ (cabinet), ‘horizon’ and ‘cris d’oiseaux’ (birds’ cries) evoke countless associations.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has the largest collection of surrealist works in the Netherlands. In the spring exhibition of 2017 the museum will be exhibiting masterpieces by such artists as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and, of course, René Magritte. In collaboration with the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Boijmans will be bringing together absolute icons from all over the world.