Magritte Retrospective At Gagosian London Draws 10,000 Visitors

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Gagosian London's exhibition exploring the pervasive influence of René Magritte has welcomed approximately 10,000 visitors since its opening on September 24. The show, titled“This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte,” has seen consistent crowds, with lines frequently extending around the block.

Scheduled to run through December 12, the exhibition features 120 works by the Surrealist master alongside 45 pieces by prominent contemporary artists, including Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Jordan Wolfson, and Issy Wood. The exhibition's success is attributed not only to its comprehensive scope but also to its ability to tap into a current artistic sensibility, highlighting how a form of Surrealism has become a dominant interpretive framework for understanding the contemporary world.

This prevailing mood is echoed across other London galleries during Frieze Week. At Sadie Coles, an exhibition of 10 new works by Nicole Eisenman, on view through November 21, showcases a similar incongruity. Her 11-by-21-foot painting, The Waiter ( 2026 ), depicts a lone waiter against a cosmic backdrop above Stonehenge, mirroring the surreal juxtapositions found in Magritte's oeuvre. Eisenman's Parking Lot of Violent Forces and Depressive Positions ( 2026 ), which features ICE agents in a clown car, evokes the flat, ominous landscapes of Magritte's The Flowers of the Journey ( 1926 ) and The Leader of the Band ( 1955 ), while its monstrous figures recall Magritte's Pictorial Content ( 1947 ).

Distorted spatial logic and ambiguity characterize Louis Fratino's 12 new paintings in“Prose” at David Zwirner, running until October 31. His work Summer in the City ( 2026 ) uses unusual perspectives to create a sense of dislocation, reminiscent of Magritte's The Commonplace ( 1964 ). Fratino's exploration of domesticity, particularly in The green bath ( 2026 ), shares a sickly green palette with works by Salman Toor, whose European museum debut is at the Courtauld until January 10. Another parallel is seen in Victor Man's Titiriteros ( 2023 ), featured in the Gagosian survey, which, with its lime green glow and enigmatic figures, creates a similar atmosphere of unresolved meaning.

The theme of reinvention is explored through installations at Gagosian, such as Alex da Corte's Slow Graffiti ( 2017 ), which recontextualizes fetishized objects like high-heeled shoes, much like Magritte's The Triumphal March ( 1948 ). Similarly, Adam Lewis Jacob's exhibition“Short Vamps for Long Wear” at Neven gallery in Bethnal Green, until October 24, repurposes used stilettos into new constructions.

Finally, the concept of doubling, where the body transforms into an object, is present in works like Charlotte Kingsnorth's Marshmallow Bench at the group show“Lumps and Bumps” at Rose Easton, through December 12. This echoes Magritte's works such as The Music Lesson ( 1965 ) and The Red Model ( 1935 ), where body parts are reconfigured. Sarah Lucas's SLAG ( 2022 ), also included in the Gagosian survey, further illustrates this with its bulging, stuffed figure. While the oldest work in the Gagosian survey dates to 1926, many recent pieces, created within the last five years, underscore Magritte's enduring relevance.

Source: Artnet News

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