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Bill Brandt — René Magritte with his picture 'The Great War', Brussels
Bill Brandt

René Magritte with his picture 'The Great War', Brussels

A striking black-and-white photograph by Bill Brandt captures the enigmatic Belgian surrealist René Magritte posed alongside his iconic painting *The Great War*, in which a bowler-hatted figure's face is obscured by a floating flower. Brandt's masterful use of light and shadow creates a quietly theatrical atmosphere, echoing the dreamlike tension that defined Magritte's own artistic vision. The image blurs the boundary between subject and creator, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between the artist and his mysterious inner world.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs

May 21, 2015

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About this work

Bill Brandt, René Magritte with his picture 'The Great War', Brussels

A striking black-and-white photograph by Bill Brandt captures the enigmatic Belgian surrealist René Magritte posed alongside his iconic painting *The Great War*, in which a bowler-hatted figure's face is obscured by a floating flower. Brandt's masterful use of light and shadow creates a quietly theatrical atmosphere, echoing the dreamlike tension that defined Magritte's own artistic vision. The image blurs the boundary between subject and creator, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between the artist and his mysterious inner world.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Surrealism, Monochrome, Photography, 20th Century, Mid Century Modern, Documentary, Modernist Style, Male Artist, Photograph, Documentary Style, Documentary Photography, 20th Century Photography, Artist Portrait, Gelatin Silver Print, Intimate Mood, Post-War, Portrait, Surrealist Subject, Monochromatic Mood, Portrait Photography, Established Artist, British, Mid-Century, Male, Figurative, British Photographer, Black and White

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