Culture & Curiosity

Magritte wrote 'This is not a pipe' to show a painting can't be the real thing

Magritte's point was that a painted pipe is not a pipe at all: you cannot smoke it, only observe a representation of one.

Why it mattersMagritte's ideas about images shaped advertising, photography, and conceptual art; the $121.2 million his work has reached at auction signals that influence is still growing.