Magritte. La ligne de vie
Date:
In 1938, René Magritte gave a lecture at the KMSKA on his vision of reality. There, he discussed the origins and development of his art, as well as the history of the Surrealist movement in Belgium. Titled La ligne de vie, this lecture, his second after the one at the International Surrealist Exhibition in London, was the most important Magritte ever gave about his own work.
René Magritte, La saveur des larmes - © Succession René Magritte - SABAM Belgium, 2025, Private collection
René Magritte, The Sixteenth of September - KMSKA - Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap © Succession René Magritte - SABAM Belgium, 2025
The exhibition Magritte. La ligne de vie revisits that key moment in Belgian art history. It invites you to walk, as it were, through Magritte’s lecture, guided by his own words and the paintings he described at the time. Just like him, you begin with his early work and encounter paintings full of visual riddles and wordplay, such as Ceci n’est pas une pipe. Magritte himself explains why he painted trees and windows so often, and what lies behind these motifs.
At the same time, the exhibition shows how important this lecture was for the Antwerp Surrealist scene. Figures such as Mariën and Léo Dohmen, who would later help shape post-war Surrealism in Flanders, found a guide in Magritte. His appearance at the KMSKA marks a turning point: Magritte presents himself not only as an artist but also as a thinker. His sober, visual approach stands in stark contrast to the dreamy French Surrealism and sets the tone for a distinctive Belgian variant, in which mystery is hidden within the banal.
Nature grants us the dreamlike state that gives our body and mind the freedom they so urgently need.
It is no coincidence that this exhibition runs in parallel with the show on Marthe Donas. Both exhibitions represent two different directions within modernism. And although Magritte initially experimented with abstraction as well, he ultimately rejected this form of painting and chose his own path. He wanted to paint ideas.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the KMSKA and the Fondation René Magritte. Would you also like to visit the exhibition Donas, Archipenko & La Section d'Or after your visit to Magritte. La ligne de vie? You should allow about one hour for the Magritte exhibition. You can select both time slots when reserving your tickets.
