New Art Institute Exhibition Showcases Surrealist Artist Rene Magritte

"Magritte, The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938" opens June 24 at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago's new exhibition spins everyday objects into dream-like works of art.

"Magritte, The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938," a showcase of works by the late Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte, opens Tuesday at the Art Institute of Chicago's Regenstein Hall.

The exhibition presents 118 of Magritte's experimental paintings, collages and objects between 1926 and 1938. It follows Magritte's works he created in Brussels, Paris and London.

"Magritte's time in London would have a stimulating effect on his art--and possibly even played a role in his presentation of himself as an artist," said Art Institute Curator Stephanie D'Alessandro in an essay about the artist's work.

After traveling from the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Menil Collection in Houston, the pieces will be on exhibition until Oct. 13.

Magritte, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1967, created works that made "everyday objects shriek out loud," the museum notes. Some of his works featured in the exhibit include "Time Transfixed" (1938), "The False Mirror" (1928) and "The Lovers" (1928).

"We believe art has the singular capability to connect people and communities," said Tim Maloney, Illinois president of Bank of America, sponsor of the exhibit. "This exhibition will change our sense of reality and stimulate an ongoing conversation, which Magritte did so well."

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