Magritte: A Life

Lots of detail that flesh out the man and his art. Overall I enjoyed it and it gave me some insight in what his paintings are about. There is a fair bit of discussion on the philosophy of surrealism as well as the artists struggles to earn a living with his painting and his relations with his fellow artistsI had two small niggles.1) There are a lot of French words/phrases, many of which are followed with the English translation, but not always.2) There are many black/white photos/paintings within the text but there is no legend to telling the reader what he is looking at. Usually the description of the picture is in the text, but photos of a a group of surrealists aren't named individually, so unless one was very familiar with these people one has to guess who is who.Pieter Capelle

My copy 'lithograph(?) is special to me.This large, comprehensive work is in depthexploration of the man & painter. On oneoccasion he said, " I am not a painter, I ama thinker."

An essential book for those who are interested in surrealism, especially the Belgium branch of this art movement of the last century as exemplified by Rene Magritte.The author, Alex Danchev, who sadly died before finally finishing this biography, did a superior job of running down sources and supplying highly informed insights on Magritte and his work. While I did not come away idolizing this artist (whose personality was odd and his politics red) , I certainly now better understand and appreciate Margritte's art. He was a primarily a thinking painter, not a master of painting.I do regret the very learned Professor Danchev was not afforded the time to finish his book. He had planned to end with a chapter on Margritte's undoubted influence on later artists and on the culture in general--a topic that would have been quite interesting.

In-depth studie on one of thd great artists.

I enjoyed this book enough to track down others by the same author. Best Magritte book I’ve read so far.

My husband loved the book

To read

I WANTED TO LISTEN TO MAGRITTE A LIFE BUT I COULD NOT GET IT TO HAPPEN. THIS IS TOO COMPLICATED FOR ME. CANCEL MY FREE TRIAL.

I've just finished reading Danchev's biography of Magritte. Like most biographies, it's something of a disappointment, its subject eluding capture despite the author's meticulous research. There are several plus points though, aside from the fact that it's by far the most detailed English language account of his life. Firstly, Danchev is actually sympathetic to his subject, so the book is not a hatchet job. You would think this goes without saying, but anyone who's read Mark Polizzotti's biography of Breton knows this is not always the case. Secondly, and again in contrast to Polizzotti, Danchev seems to have some sympathy with the surrealist project, and some understanding of it, even if it's implicit in the book rather than explicit (and allowing for the obligatory side-swipes at Breton). Danchev is, similarly, not unsympathetic to Magritte's politics, though his account of Magritte's engagement with, for example, the Belgian Communist Party is sketchy to say the least. Danchev's Magritte emerges as an irascible, Puckish, "difficult" character, with some surprising revelations along the way - for instance his involvement in forgeries, not just paintings but Belgian bank notes too. Despite all of this, the portrait Danchev paints is, in the end, a rather thin one, something that may relate to the fact that he died before completing the text (the final chapter is written by Sarah Whitfield). Is it worth the price and the time spent on it? I'd say yes. As for Magritte though, the "answer" remains elusive, which is as it should be.

A fine biography of Magritte with some fine insights. Unreservedly recommended. However small printing makes it a difficult read even with reading glasses. Kindle version may be the best way to go if you’re short sighted.

Solo he acabado el capitulo 5 (esta en ingles, y cuesta). PEro promete. Se lo ha currado. Está bien documentado y relacionado con el medio en que vivió MAgrritte

Il libro è in inglese, Bonn avevo capito se no non l’avrei preso. Comunque le foto sono belle.