Magritte - Torczyner : Letters Between Friends

New York, NY, U.S.A.: Harry N. Abrams Incorporated, 1994. Trade Paperback. Very Good. 6" X 8 1/2. 159 pages. Not For Sale stamped in pale red on the three page edges. No other marks or stamps. There is a spine/cover crease from being opened but otherwise appears to be unread. Blue stiff covers with dust jacket like flaps. Printed and bound in Belgium on very high quality glossy paper. 50 Black and white illustrations. Rene Magritte, the great Belgian Surrealist artist did not keep copies of the letters he wrote to Harry Torczyner, his confidant, friend and attorney. But Torczyner cherished and kept all that he received. as well as copies of his responses. Living in two different worlds, this painter and this attorney, they shared mental inclinations and a vivid curiosity. They were both hostile to obligatory sentiments, boredom was deemed to be the supreme menace, and they remained mutually critical in their correspondence and encounters while remaining friends. The connection has its special tone, which this book faithfully reflects. Illustrated with reproductions of paintings mentioned in the letters as well as with personal photogrpahs of both men, this intriguing book offers fresh insights in the last ten years of Magritte's life and work. Sam Hunter, emeritus professor of art history at Princeton, provides an introduction to this volume. Selections from this lively correspondence are reproduced and set in context by Torczyner's notes. Contents: Acknowledgements, Introduction, Letters 1957--1967, Index of Works by Magritte, Index of Names and Credits for Documentary Photographs.