Magritte Home Movies

26mMovie

In 1956, Magritte purchased a movie camera and, in the following years, made numerous short films featuring himself, his wife, their friends, and even their dog. Magritte’s home movies were sometimes scripted, but rarely had discernible plots, instead stringing together a series of strange and unrelated actions. Bringing Magritte’s iconic imagery to life, the films feature actors mischievously substituting real apples for their painted counterparts or reenacting entire compositions. These snippets of Surrealist collaboration showcase Magritte’s playfulness, prompting his friend Louis Scutenaire to observe, “Perhaps he was never more happy than when handling the camera.”