René Magritte

The first part of a Magritte portrait, mainly compiled from fragments of staged enactments of situations, which Magritte recorded with, among others, Georgette Magritte, Paul Colinet, Irène Hamoir and Scutenaire, playfully described by the latter as "une histoire érotico-fantastico-iconoclaste".

In 1956, Magritte purchased a movie camera and, in the following years, made numerous short films featuring himself, his wife, their friends, and even their dog. Magritte’s home movies were sometimes scripted, but rarely had discernible plots, instead stringing together a series of strange and unrelated actions. Bringing Magritte’s iconic imagery to life, the films feature actors mischievously substituting real apples for their painted counterparts or reenacting entire compositions. These snippets of Surrealist collaboration showcase Magritte’s playfulness, prompting his friend Louis Scutenaire to observe, “Perhaps he was never more happy than when handling the camera.”

Short by René Magritte