The False Mirror
1928 painting by René Magritte
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The False Mirror is a surrealist oil on canvas painting by René Magritte, from 1928. It depicts a human eye framing a cloudy, blue sky.[1][2][3] In the depiction of the eye in the painting, the clouds take the place normally occupied by the iris.[4][5][6] The painting's original French title is Le faux miroir.[7]
| The False Mirror | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | René Magritte |
| Year | 1928 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 54 cm × 80.9 cm (21 in × 31.9 in) |
| Location | Museum of Modern Art, New York |
Provenance
Magritte painted three versions of Le faux miroir.[8]
The original version of The False Mirror was painted at Le Perreux-sur-Marne, France in 1928. Between 1933 and 1936 it was owned by the surrealist photographer Man Ray.[9][10] The painting was purchased from Man Ray by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It has remained in the MOMA permanent in collection since its purchase.[11]
Magritte painted a second version of The False Mirror in 1935. The oil on canvas work, sized 19 × 27 cm, is in a private collection.[12][13][7]
A gouache on paper version of The False Mirror, executed by Magritte in 1952, sold at auction in 2010 for GBP 373,250.[14]
In popular culture
The painting is said to be one of the inspirations for the 1952 CBS television "eye" logo designed by William Golden.[15][16][17][18][19]
Vaporwave producer Eco Virtual used this painting as the album cover on their second album, ATMOSPHERES 第2 (2014).[20]