René Magritte
Belgian, 1898–1967
Untitled (Woman-Bottle)
INV-1452
René Magritte
Belgian, 1898–1967c. 1943
Untitled (Woman-Bottle)
René Magritte Belgian, 1898–1967 →Surrealismsculpturemodern and contemporary art
Date
c. 1943
Medium
Oil on glass bottle
Dimensions
37.7 × 7.6 cm (14 3/4 × 3 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Shapiro
Magritte began painting glass bottles like Untitled (Woman-Bottle) during the German occupation of Belgium in World War II, a moment when traditional fine art materials were suddenly in short supply. Although he had previously experimented with found objects and sculpture, Magritte did not conceive of painting “in the round” until the war years, when discarded bottles—many of his favored Bordeaux, but also port and sherry—proved useful for his playful experiments at the intersection of painting and sculpture. Over his lifetime, Magritte created more than 25 works in this format, many of which he presented to his friends as gifts.
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