London: Gagosian Celebrates René Magritte and His Legacy in Contemporary Art

From September 24 to December 12, 2026, the Gagosian gallery on Grosvenor Hill in London presents *This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte*, an exhibition dedicated to René Magritte and the influence the artist continues to exert on contemporary art. Curated by Jasper Sharp and Bernard Lagrange, the exhibition brings together paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and photographs from international museums and private collections. The exhibition traces René Magritte’s entire career through some of his most famous images—from his iconic pipes to apples, bowler hats, and cloud-dotted skies—pairing them with works by contemporary artists from different generations, many of which were created specifically for this occasion.

The exhibition aims to highlight how Magritte’s visual language continues to inspire contemporary artistic exploration, emphasizing the dialogue between his aesthetic and the most recent artistic experiments. Through this comparison, the relevance of a body of work that has redefined the relationship between image, reality, and representation becomes evident.

The initiative also celebrates two important anniversaries. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the exhibition *Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images, held between 2006 and 2007 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which is considered the first major study of Magritte’s influence on American and European artists in the post-World War II era. At the same time, the exhibition pays tribute to the 90th anniversary of the historic 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition, held just a short walk from Gagosian’s London location and recognized as one of the events that contributed to the artist’s international acclaim.

Among the masterpieces on display is *La Lampe philosophique* (*The Philosopher’s Lamp*, 1936), one of the most significant paintings in Magritte’s oeuvre, which was also featured in the LACMA exhibition. The work, often interpreted as a conceptual self-portrait, reflects on the themes of paradox, identity, and introspection—central elements in the artist’s poetics.

Commenting on the project, Larry Gagosian emphasized how Magritte’s influence continues to extend far beyond the art world, permeating advertising, design, fashion, and music. According to the gallerist, the exhibition will offer the public a new opportunity to engage with the evocative power, irony, and mystery that characterize the Surrealist master’s body of work.

Organized in collaboration with Charly Herscovici, president of the Fondation Magritte, and with contributions from leading scholars of the artist’s work, the exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog. The complete list of participating contemporary artists will be announced shortly and will include both artists who were featured in the historic LACMA exhibition and new artists invited to engage, for the first time, with Magritte’s legacy.

London: Gagosian Celebrates René Magritte and His Legacy in Contemporary Art

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