''The False Mirror'' is a
surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
oil on canvas painting by
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
, from 1928. It depicts a human eye framing a cloudy, blue sky.
In the depiction of the eye in the painting, the clouds take the place normally occupied by the
iris.
The painting's original French title is ''Le faux miroir''.
Provenance
Magritte painted three versions of ''Le faux miroir''.
The original version of ''The False Mirror'' was painted at
Le Perreux-sur-Marne
Le Perreux-sur-Marne (, ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris.
History
The commune of Le Perreux-s ...
, France in 1928. Between 1933 and 1936 it was owned by the surrealist photographer
Man Ray
Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American naturalized French visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, ...
.
The painting was purchased from Man Ray by the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
in New York. It has remained in the MOMA permanent in collection since its purchase.
Magritte painted a second version of ''The False Mirror'' in 1935. The oil on canvas work, sized 19 × 27 cm, is in a private collection.
A gouache on paper version of ''The False Mirror'', executed by Magritte in 1952, sold at auction in 2010 for GBP 373,250.
In popular culture
The painting is said to be one of the inspirations for the 1952
CBS television "eye" logo designed by
William Golden.
Vaporwave and New Age producer Eco Virtual used this painting as the album cover on their second album, ''ATMOSPHERES 第2''.
See also
*
List of paintings by René Magritte
This is a list of the works of Belgian painter René Magritte (21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967), a key surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which ...
*
1928 in art
Events from the year 1928 in art.
Events
* January 7 – The Tate Gallery, London, is one of the buildings flooded by the 1928 Thames flood.
* March 26 – The China Academy of Art is founded in Hangzhou (originally named the National Academy ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:False Mirror, The
1928 paintings
Paintings by René Magritte
Mirrors in art
Oil on canvas paintings
Human eyes in art