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The Arts Intel Report

Drifting with Magritte: Castles in the Air

Apr 7 – Oct 18, 2022
Derech Ruppin, Jerusalem, Israel

In the 1950s, the Surrealist artist René Magritte received a commission from his longtime friend Harry Torczyner, who wanted a painting. Torczyner wasn’t sure what the subject should be, however, and after a lengthy correspondence Magritte sent him a series of drawings to consider. Torczyner chose one of a large rock with a castle on its summit, and suggested that Magritte add a troubled ocean and a serene sky. “Over the dark sea or ocean there rises the rock of hope,” he wrote to his friend. The result—The Castle of the Pyrenees (1959)— became one of Magritte’s most famous paintings. This exhibition presents The Castle of the Pyrenees alongside works by artists who took inspiration from it. —Elena Clavarino