Le Musée d’une nuit 

Curator: Magritte’s “Le Musée d’une nuit” employs a mixed-media approach; it appears deceptively simple. These objects placed within separate compartments give off an eerie and dream-like aura, wouldn’t you agree? What jumps out to you? Editor: I do see the strangeness in these common objects placed in what resembles a wooden shelving unit, almost like a shadow box. How might the construction itself be telling us something? Curator: Well, consider the materiality. What strikes me immediately is the almost insistent frontality of it; the insistent display of both "high" and "low". We have a clear tension between craft, or perhaps trade, with that wood grain; alongside this is fine art – represented, albeit strangely, with the bird head, glass and so on. How can you relate it? Editor: It almost feels like a flattening of value. All these objects are presented in the same manner, regardless of their origin or perceived cultural value, it disrupts any sense of hierarchy between the objects. How does Surrealism plays into that flattening? Curator: Precisely. This elevation of the mundane, executed with precise skill in its painting, highlights how deeply material conditions can be interwoven with our perception of art. And also, whose perspective matters: Magritte made his paintings available for more general appeal by doing more editions. Do you think it helped him to reach larger audiences? Editor: I would think that it made him gain popularity with audiences, as opposed to other surrealist painters who were adamant of not sharing their work because the value relies on exclusivity. I hadn’t thought about the artist's engagement with production so deeply before. Curator: Absolutely, and this piece really drives home the artist's involvement, because the creation isn't hidden in some sort of obscure high society bubble. It puts labour and process into sharp focus, forcing us to think about the act of creation alongside the image itself.