Magritte comprises over 100 works by Belgian surrealist René Magritte (1898–1967), featuring iconic motifs of bowler hats, clouds, pipes and apples, organised chronologically and spanning more than four decades of the artist’s work – from early avant-garde explorations and commercial works in the 1920s to his groundbreaking contributions to surrealism, provocative works of the 1940s, and the celebrated paintings of his final years.
Works on display underscore Magritte’s profound influence on modern and contemporary art, while lesser-known aspects of his practice reveal his subversive sense of humour and fierce independence.

René Magritte, The dominion of light (L’empire des lumières), 1954, oil on canvas, 129.9 × 94.6cm. The Menil Collection, Houston, V 616. © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024. Photograph: Paul Hester. Courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

René Magritte The listening room (La chambre d’écoute) 1952, The Menil Collection, Houston. © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024. Photograph: Adam Baker
Art Gallery of New South Wales
26 October 2024 to 9 February 2025
Sydney