Magritte Up High (191 words)

The MFAH has a bird painting by Magritte hung surprisingly high in their new Kinder building. I’m not a massive fan of the artist, but I love how weirdly high this painting is on the wall—it feels like the MFAH is daring us to make fun of their silly literalism. (Look! It’s a bird!)

I don’t traditionally associate a sense of play with the MFAH, and this feels playful and fun, which is something we all need.

Last week I visited MoMA in New York, where I stumbled onto this similarly-hung Magritte, the famous clouds-in-the-eye painting.

My inclination is to be disappointed at the thought that this is some trend, but I appreciate the fact that two museums about which I’ve had mixed feelings in the past have both introduced surprise and pleasure in their hangings, whether they came up with the idea themselves or stole is from somewhere else. They’ve softened me up towards an artist who, great painter or no, deserves the recognition he gets for his iconic imagery.

(And the Texan in me appreciates that the MFAH Magritte is more audaciously high on the wall than MoMA's.)