Last updated: 26 October 2026
René Magritte is the Belgian Surrealist of the bowler hat, the pipe that is not a pipe and the night street under a daylight sky. Here you will find our take on his work, where to see René Magritte now in London for free, books and prints you can buy, recent auction results and our review of Gagosian’s 2026 Magritte show.
Our take on René Magritte
Magritte painted ordinary things, precisely, and then set them against each other. He explained the pipe himself: « Pouvez-vous la bourrer ma pipe ? Non, n’est-ce pas, elle n’est qu’une représentation. » (“Can you fill my pipe? No, of course not, it is only a representation.”), as quoted by the Fondation Magritte. The translation is ours.
I gave This Is Still Not a Pipe at Gagosian 5/5, and it is the best show to see in London this year. It sets his paintings against 46 artists who came after him, and it costs nothing to get in. The stages get busy, though, and the 1929 pipe painting is not there: it stays in Los Angeles.
René Magritte’s paintings now sell for tens of millions. Prints are a different matter: posthumous lithographs signed by his widow, Georgette, sell at auction for a few hundred to a few thousand pounds.
René Magritte: the essentials
- Born in Lessines, Belgium, on 21 November 1898, and died in Brussels on 15 August 1967, according to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
- Studied on and off at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels from 1916 to 1918, and worked briefly as a wallpaper designer after his military service.
- Married Georgette Berger in 1922. She was, the Fondation Magritte says, his only model.
- Held his first solo show at Galerie Le Centaure, Brussels, in 1927, then lived near Paris among the Surrealists until 1930. His first show in England was at the London Gallery in 1938.
- The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe) (1929) belongs to LACMA in Los Angeles. Tate owns Man with a Newspaper (1928) and The Reckless Sleeper.
- The Fondation Magritte, run by Charly Herscovici, looks after his legacy and authenticates his work.
Where to see René Magritte now
- Now on: This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte, Gagosian, 20 Grosvenor Hill, London W1, 24 September to 12 December 2026, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, free. Made with the Fondation Magritte. Read our review.
- Free: Man with a Newspaper (1928) is on display at Tate Modern.
- Magritte, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 26 October 2024 to 9 February 2025, more than 100 works.
Recent René Magritte auction results
Market signals
Averages over the last 36 months, in US dollars
Figures from the Artsy price database. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Magritte’s market runs from Georgette-signed lithographs to some of the highest prices ever paid for Surrealism. Two results from the past two years:
- L’empire des lumières, 1954, oil on canvas, 145.4 x 113 cm (57 1/4 x 44 1/2 in). Sold for US$121,160,000 at Christie’s New York, 19 November 2024, per Christie’s.
- Trois Pommes, lithograph in colours, signed by Georgette Magritte and numbered 78/150, sheet 52 x 63 cm (20 1/2 x 24 3/4 in). Sold for £1,443 against an estimate of £400 to £500 at Roseberys London, 19 February 2025.
Prices include buyer’s premium. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
René Magritte books and prints you can buy
We could not find a UK dealer with a Magritte print in stock. These books are available:
- Magritte (TASCHEN Basic Art), £18: the compact introduction, from TASCHEN.
- Gagosian Quarterly, Fall 2026, £16: with Alex Da Corte on Magritte, from the Gagosian shop.
- The Lives of the Surrealists, £18.99: Desmond Morris’s portraits of the Surrealists, Magritte included, from Thames & Hudson.
Our reviews featuring René Magritte
- This Is Still Not a Pipe at Gagosian review (Cool Factor 5/5).
- Quentin James McCaffrey at Alison Jacques review, which compares his paintings with the Magritte show.
René Magritte FAQs
Is the Magritte exhibition in London free?
Yes. This Is Still Not a Pipe at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, is free and runs until 12 December 2026.
Where is the real Ceci n’est pas une pipe painting?
The Treachery of Images (1929) is in the collection of LACMA in Los Angeles. It is not in the London show.
Can I buy a Magritte print?
Posthumous lithographs signed by Georgette Magritte come up at auction, sometimes for under £2,000. Check the edition and signature before you bid.
What is the most expensive Magritte?
L’empire des lumières (1954) sold for US$121.16m at Christie’s New York in November 2024.
More from CoolCuration
- Christo: Air at Gagosian review: an earlier show in the same gallery.
- Not a Koons: another gift with a joke in its name.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting without auction prices.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: René Magritte, 18 October 1961. Photo: unknown photographer, Musée Carnavalet, Paris Musées, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices and auction results last checked: 26 October 2026.
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