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The Empty Mask (Le masque vide)

© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2024. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

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In his essay 'Words and Images', published in 1929, the Belgian Surrealist Magritte observed that each image 'suggests that there are others behind it'. Viewed through a freestanding frame of irregular shape, these images are a sky, a lead curtain festooned with sleigh bells, a house facade, a sheet of paper cut-outs, a forest and a fire. The title evokes the fear of the invisible which pervades the artist's work and reflects the Surrealists' fascination with the subconscious.
Title

The Empty Mask (Le masque vide)

Date

1928

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 81.2 x W 116.2 cm

Accession number

NMW A 2051

Acquisition method

purchased, 1973

Work type

Painting

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National Museum Cardiff

Cathays Park, Cardiff (Caerdydd) CF10 3NP Wales

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