Magritte
€3,200.00
A rare Brussels wartime edition (1943). This monograph on Magritte is not an “ordinary” monograph or catalogue. There are several reasons for this. 1) First recognized monograph This is the first widely recognized monograph devoted to René Magritte. By 1943 Magritte was established in Belgium and had some international visibility through exhibitions, but this is the first fully illustrated publication devoted exclusively to him, with particular attention to works from the early 1940s. 2) War years and occupation Published in 1943, in the midst of the war and under German occupation. For (Belgian) Surrealists this meant censorship, surveillance, and very limited public visibility; Surrealism was classified by the Nazis as “degenerate art.” As a result, exhibitions and publications were few, often semi-clandestine, sometimes under pseudonyms and with cautious, coded language. There were even instances of direct interference (for example, the premature closure of Raoul Ubac’s photographic exhibition in Brussels in 1941). That Marcel Mariën and Magritte brought this book out during the occupation shows both courage and an intellectual act of resistance. It is plausible that the edition of 1,025 copies reached readers in stages, slowly and mainly locally. 3) Association copy: Henri Parisot This copy bears an extensive inscribed presentation by Magritte to Henri Parisot, a key figure on the French Surrealist scene—poet, translator, and publisher of Antonin Artaud, Paul Éluard, Benjamin Péret, and André Breton. Parisot served as an essential cultural mediator, introducing visionary precursors such as Novalis and William Blake to a French readership. Through his bibliophile editions and journals he provided an independent space outside Breton’s strict authority and helped preserve Surrealism’s legacy while linking it to broader traditions of mysticism and poetic experiment. 4) The date “72-X-79231” The presentation is cryptically dated: “72-X-79231.” This is not a slip, but a deliberate Surrealist play with time and sequence—fully consistent with Magritte’s concerns (think of La durée poignardée / Time Transfixed and his word/image inversions). Such a poetic, non-linear date makes the inscription itself conceptual: the envoi enacts what the work proclaims—unhinging time. The “X” acts as a hinge within the number string; the formula mirrors Magritte’s method of estranging the everyday through a subtle shift in conventions. As paratext, the date turns the inscription into a performative gesture: it does Surrealism rather than merely naming it.
Quantity
Mariën, Marcel
Magritte, René
Magritte
1943 | Brussel | Les Auteurs Associés
Rare early catalogue in very good condition, strengthened by first-rate provenance; a compact landmark in Magritte reception.
A rare Brussels wartime edition (1943). This monograph on Magritte is not an “ordinary” monograph or catalogue.
There are several reasons for this.
1) First recognized monograph
This is the first widely recognized monograph devoted to René Magritte. By 1943 Magritte was established in Belgium and had some international visibility through exhibitions, but this is the first fully illustrated publication devoted exclusively to him, with particular attention to works from the early 1940s.
2) War years and occupation
Published in 1943, in the midst of the war and under German occupation. For (Belgian) Surrealists this meant censorship, surveillance, and very limited public visibility; Surrealism was classified by the Nazis as “degenerate art.” As a result, exhibitions and publications were few, often semi-clandestine, sometimes under pseudonyms and with cautious, coded language. There were even instances of direct interference (for example, the premature closure of Raoul Ubac’s photographic exhibition in Brussels in 1941). That Marcel Mariën and Magritte brought this book out during the occupation shows both courage and an intellectual act of resistance. It is plausible that the edition of 1,025 copies reached readers in stages, slowly and mainly locally.
3) Association copy: Henri Parisot
This copy bears an extensive inscribed presentation by Magritte to Henri Parisot, a key figure on the French Surrealist scene—poet, translator, and publisher of Antonin Artaud, Paul Éluard, Benjamin Péret, and André Breton. Parisot served as an essential cultural mediator, introducing visionary precursors such as Novalis and William Blake to a French readership. Through his bibliophile editions and journals he provided an independent space outside Breton’s strict authority and helped preserve Surrealism’s legacy while linking it to broader traditions of mysticism and poetic experiment.
4) The date “72-X-79231”
The presentation is cryptically dated: “72-X-79231.” This is not a slip, but a deliberate Surrealist play with time and sequence—fully consistent with Magritte’s concerns (think of La durée poignardée / Time Transfixed and his word/image inversions). Such a poetic, non-linear date makes the inscription itself conceptual: the envoi enacts what the work proclaims—unhinging time. The “X” acts as a hinge within the number string; the formula mirrors Magritte’s method of estranging the everyday through a subtle shift in conventions. As paratext, the date turns the inscription into a performative gesture: it does Surrealism rather than merely naming it.
€3,200
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
Ordinary issue numbered 26–1025; plus 25 de luxe copies (nos. 1–25) each with an original drawing by Magritte, signed by the authors.
Print Run
1025
Copy Number
373
Paper
papier couché
Inscription
Signed by the Illustrator
1
Edition Particulars:
We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests. Each message is treated with discretion and respect. We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests.
1
Print Run:
Condition Report:
1
Copy Number:
Condition Report:
1
Paper:
Condition Report:
1
Signed:
Condition Report:
Product DETAIL
Illustrated catalogue with numerous reproductions of Magritte’s paintings, preceded by an introduction by Marcel Mariën; compact, clear, and representative of the artist’s visual lexicon.
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