The painter René Magritte (1898–1967) said that he sought to “make the most everyday objects shriek aloud.” And yet, the enigmatic style through which he achieved this goal did not come until middle age. The eldest son of a textile merchant, Magritte began his career as a graphic artist. In 1927, he moved to Paris to join the growing French Surrealism movement, led by André Breton, and his work changed. Magritte’s paintings became more figurative and uncertain in tone, depicting commonplace items as uncanny. By placing everyday items—apples, pipes, bowler hats—in atypical settings, he reimagined the psychological boundaries of painting. A new exhibition at Gagosian in London explores the Belgian artist’s legacy by locating his emblematic symbols in works of contemporary art. It’s an ode to the landmark International Surrealist Exhibition held in London 90 years ago, an event that established Magritte’s international reputation. —Maggie Turner