Elective Affinities—René Magritte as the Guest of His Patron Edward James in London: The Artist’s Letters and Postcards to His Wife, 12 February–19 March 1937

Abstract

This essay takes as its subject the letters and postcards written by Belgian painter René Magritte (1898–1967) to his wife, Georgette, between 12 February and 19 March 1937, while the artist stayed at the London home of his patron Edward James. This sojourn represented a turning point in Magritte’s biography and artistic career, and the artist was introduced to a new circle of buyers. The friendship that developed between painter and host resulted in many more commissions and acquisitions that would make James’s collection of Magritte’s work the largest prior to the Second World War. The correspondence between Magritte and Georgette, conserved in the special collections of the Getty Research Institute, offers a highly personal glimpse into the relationship between the artist and his wife and provides insights into Magritte’s relationships with the Surrealist Group in England, agent and gallerist E. L. T. Mesens, and patron and collector Edward James.