Commissioned by Gilbert Périer, President of Sabena World Airlines & art collector in 1965, Magritte completed the painting in 1966. The first recorded mention of the painting "role as a Sabena emblem is found in a letter to Harry Torczyner in which Magritte says: Thanks to the effort of Mr. Périer, my sky bird" will also appear on Sabena "planes. This image has been the subject of a contract which is going to make my life a bit more comfortable." Soon, the bird will be displayed on timetables, brochures posters, leaflets etc.
René Magritte was one of the most famous surrealist painters of all time. His ability to challenge perception inspired many artists to come, such as Andy Warhol, Jan Verdoodt and Jasper Johns. Furthermore, his idiosyncratic vision of Surrealism has won over the hearts and minds of millions.
He worked across various media including painting, printmaking, sculpting, photography, and film. His depiction of normal, everyday objects rearranged in an unusual way allowed his viewers to take a deeper look at what was in front of them and realize what the image truly represented.
One of his most well-known pieces, The Treachery of Images exemplifies his ability to give new meanings to objects. It is an image of a pipe, and beneath it, a message that reads, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe”).
This ability to make the mundane strange and the known unknown has solidified Magritte’s talents in the art world. Eventually, it has profoundly affected the Conceptualist and Pop Art movements, to this very day.
