Books like Magritte

Loved Magritte by Federico Zeri? Here are 8 books with the same pull, and why each one fits.

8 books

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1Manifestoes of Surrealism
Manifestoes of Surrealism
André Breton
The founding texts of the surrealist movement, which explain the ideas behind the images Magritte and his circle made.
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2Nadja
Nadja
André Breton
A surrealist novel by a leader of the movement, written in the same dreamlike spirit as the paintings of the period.
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3The Secret Life of Salvador Dali
The Secret Life of Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí
The autobiography of another major surrealist painter, showing how the movement's artists saw their own work.
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4Ways of Seeing
Ways of Seeing
John Berger
A short, influential book on how images carry meaning, which suits readers curious about Magritte's play with pictures and words.
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5The Story of Art
The Story of Art
E. H. Gombrich
A general history of art that places modern movements such as surrealism within a longer story.
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6The Shock of the New
The Shock of the New
Robert Hughes
A survey of modern art that discusses surrealism and its contemporaries in accessible prose.
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7History of Art
History of Art
H. W. Janson
A widely used survey of Western art that gives context for the modernist movements Magritte worked in.
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8Art Through the Ages
Art Through the Ages
Helen Gardner
A long-running survey of art history that covers the modern period and gives readers a broad frame for individual painters.
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