Meanwhile, in the life of René Magritte
The whole life1930
Back to Brussels: advertising instead of a gallery
Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending his contract income, and he had made little impact in Paris, so in 1930 Magritte returned to Brussels and to advertising. With his brother Paul he formed an agency that earned him a living wage.
1930–1932
No exhibitions, no sales: a stipend from Claude Spaak
Between 1930 and 1932 Magritte had no exhibitions and sold no work; he was supported by a monthly stipend arranged by the Belgian playwright Claude Spaak.
1930s
The patronage of Edward James
The British Surrealist patron Edward James let Magritte stay rent-free in his London home, where he studied architecture and painted; James is depicted in two paintings of 1937, “The Pleasure Principle” and “Not to Be Reproduced”.
1930–1954 · Residence
René Magritte House
1932
Joins the Communist Party of Belgium
Holding left-wing views, he apparently joined the party twice before the war — in 1932 and 1936 — and left both times over disputes about the role of art in propaganda: party members criticised “The Red Model” for misrepresenting communists and rejected his poster designs for the textile workers’ centre.
1934
