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The Tune and Also the Words

A work made of gouache over traces of graphite on cream wove paper.
© 2018 C. Herscovici, London / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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  • A work made of gouache over traces of graphite on cream wove paper.

Date:

1964

Artist:

René Magritte
Belgian, 1898-1967

About this artwork

René Magritte first conceived this famous image in oil on canvas in 1929, when he was most interested in the relationship between words and pictures. In this work from 1964, Magritte revisited the image, in gouache. “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe) articulates that the reproduction of the pipe is not the pipe itself, nor is the word “pipe” an actual pipe, the implement to smoke tobacco. Magritte retitled this version The Tune and Also the Words (L’Air et la Chanson) because, as he put it, “it is desirable that such a thing is found in as many ‘households’ as possible.”

Status

On View, Gallery 397

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

René Magritte

Title

The Tune and Also the Words

Place

Belgium (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1964

Medium

Gouache over traces of graphite on cream wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed and inscribed, lower left: "magritte"; inscribed lower center: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe"; inscribed verso, lower right: "L'Air et la Chanson"

Dimensions

36.2 × 54.8 cm (14 5/16 × 21 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection

Reference Number

2018.332

Copyright

© 2018 C. Herscovici, London / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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