Untitled (Marcel Marien)

In the records received with this photograph, which was part of a large bequest given to the Smart Museum in 2014, Untitled (Marcel Mariën) is attributed to René Magritte and titled Paul Magritte, but the photograph itself tells a different story. The back of the photograph reads, “Photo de Marcel Mariën par Paul Magritte” (photo of Marcel Mariën by Paul Magritte) and “MAGRITTE, P. 2.” Given René Magritte’s predilection for shrouded identities—shrouded faces appear in his paintings as well—these inscriptions could be a deliberate ploy by the artist to demonstrate the absurdity of naming the person underneath the sheet in the photograph.