René MAGRITTE (Lessines, 1898 - Schaerbeek, 1967)

René Magritte's universe is unarguably one of the most striking in the history of art. In his work, each of the images is deliberately premeditated. His subject, which tends towards the subjectivity of language, is thought-provoking and disturbing: that of a society sclerosed by heavy prejudices.

When René Magritte abandoned the objectivity of "Plastique pure", it was only to test another form of objectivity: that of a misplaced, shifting everyday life. One of the most essential paradoxes of René Magritte's work is without a doubt the presentation of knowledge shrouded in mystery. It is also the theme that is tackled in "La Fée ignorante" ( The Ignorant Fairy) which appears to be a true concentration of all that constitutes Magritte's own style of surrealism: childhood reminiscences, elective affinities, differences of scale, material for expressing ideas, etc.

Other adherents of Walloon surrealism are other excellent artists such as Armand Simon (1906-1981) who created automatic writing extolled by André Breton (1896-1966).

The Museum of Fine Arts owns eight paintings by René Magritte covering different periods that represent some of the more important milestones of his work. Among them, the layout for the mural for the Hall of Congress of the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Charleroi (1957).