The Portable Magritte

“The Portable Magritte” represents a new approach to the enjoyment and study of art in book form. With more than 400 color reproductions and a compact handheld size, this book manages to be affordable and comprehensive. It’s like a catalogue raisonne that fits in a backpack. This accessible format is a perfect match for the paintings of Rene Magritte-one of the few twentieth-century painters whose works are immediately approachable and who has an enduring cultlike following. His surrealistic and mysterious visions always provoke introspective thought and imagination. All of Magritte’s most characteristic and beloved motifs-the green apple, the bowler hat, and the dreamlike twilight hour-make their appearance, along with some surprising lesser-known paintings. The artist’s method and meaning is explored in an intriguing essay by Robert Hughes, the art critic for “Time” magazine and acclaimed commentator on art and culture. A hip and current update on this timeless artist, “The Portable Magritte” makes an ideal gift for students as well as art lovers of any age.