''The False Mirror'' (1928) is a

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

oil painting by

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and bounda ...

that depicts a human eye framing a cloudy, blue sky. In the depiction of the eye in the painting, the clouds take the place normally occupied by the

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

. The painting's original French title is ''Le faux miroir''.

Provenance

Magritte painted three versions of ''Le faux miroir''. The original version of ''The False Mirror'' was painted at

Le Perreux-sur-Marne Le Perreux-sur-Marne (, literally ''Le Perreux on Marne'') is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History The commune of Le Perreux-sur-Marne was created o ...

, France in 1928. Between 1933 and 1936 it was owned by the surrealist photographer

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each ...

. The painting was purchased from Man Ray by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

in New York. It has remained in the MOMA permanent in collection since its purchase. 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. A gouache on paper version of ''The False Mirror'', executed by Magritte in 1952, sold at auction in 2010 for GBP 373,250.

In popular culture

The painting is said to be one of the inspirations for the 1952 CBS television "eye" logo designed by William Golden. Vaporwave and New Age producer Eco Virtual used this painting as the album cover on her second album, ''ATMOSPHERES 第2''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:False Mirror, The 1928 paintings Paintings by René Magritte Surrealist paintings Mirrors in art