The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Utopia

Utopia

1945
(Belgian, 1898–1967)
Belgium, 20th century
watercolor and gouache
Sheet: 32.1 x 41.8 cm (12 5/8 x 16 7/16 in.)
Bequest of Lockwood Thompson 1992.275
© C. Herscovici / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Catalogue raisonné: Sylvester 1191
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

René Magritte made an almost identical painting around the same time that he completed this drawing.

Description

René Magritte was among the leading figures of the Surrealist movement, whose work emphasized dreams, the subconscious, and a break from reason and logic during the early 20th century. Magritte, in particular, often situated realistic imagery within ridiculous or unusual situations in order to question perception. Here, a rose grows on a rocky island amid a vast sea, set against a blue sky filled with large white clouds. By situating the flower within a barren and inhospitable setting, Magritte invites the viewer to question its purpose and survival. Created as World War II came to an end, the enigmatic image could symbolize a new beginning, although Magritte avoided assigning it a specific meaning.
  • 1945
    (Galerie Lou Cosyn, Brussels, sold to Lockwood Thompson)
    1945-1992
    Lockwood Thompson [1901-1992], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1992-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • exhibited with this title in 1993 CMA exhibition
    Lawrence, Michael G. Surrealism in Perspective. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1979. Mentioned: p. 33
    Sylvester, David, ed. René Magritte: Catalogue Raisonné, Volume IV: Gouaches, Temperas, Watercolours and Papiers Collés 1918-1967. London: Menil Foundation, 1992. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 60, no. 1191
    "Catalogue." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 1 (January 1993): 65-73. Mentioned: p. 73, no. 243
    DeGrazia, Diane, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Mentioned: pp. 266-267, 298; Reproduced: p. 267
    Clarke, Victoria. Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom. London; New York : Phaidon Press Limited, 2020. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 196
  • Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
    Selected Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 11, 1993).
    Surrealism in Perspective. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 3, 1979-January 6, 1980).
  • {{cite web|title=Utopia|url=false|author=René Magritte|year=1945|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.275