The Six Elements

Gallery 269, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor

Main Building

The Six Elements

1929

René Magritte (Belgian, 1898–1967)

Magritte's title calls to mind the basic elements of the universe---air, water, fire, and earth---although the connection between these and the images in the painting remains mysterious. Painted at the end of a three-year stay in Paris, during which Magritte became a full-fledged Surrealist, The Six Elements exemplifies the artist's ability to lure viewers into questioning the relationship between language and image, the rational and the irrational.

Gallery 269, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor

Object Details

Title:

The Six Elements

Date:

1929

Artist:

René Magritte (Belgian, 1898–1967)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

28 3/4 x 39 5/16 inches (73 x 99.9 cm) Framed: 35 7/16 × 45 13/16 × 3 11/16 inches (90 × 116.4 × 9.4 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

Accession Number:

1950-134-127

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

Provenance

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Gallery 269, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor

Main Building

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