About René Magritte Tray Hat – Le Bouchon d’épouvante (1966)

This vibrant and colorful fuchsia melamine Rene Magritte Tray Apple features his notorious surrealist work “Le Bouchon d’épouvante” (1966) where the Belgian surrealist artist once again interacts with the relationship of words and images. Magritte’s work is titled “Le Bouchon d’épouvante” (The Cap of Horror) and it displays a bowler hat, immediately recognizable as an item associated directly with the artist through his various portrait representations. The bowler hat features a label closely related to those reading on the container of medications “Usage Externe” (For external use), thus hinting the bowler hat as a symbol for containing the dreams, or subversive thoughts dwelling inside the artist’s mind. Once again, the artist also challenges the northern European tradition of still-life painting by emphasizing giving primary focus to the object, through its monumental scale. The artist produced two versions of this artwork from which one continues to be lost until this day. On May 21st, 1966, Rene Magritte wrote a letter to his colleague Marcel Mabille regarding this work, reading:

My dear Mabille,
In order to add to your collection of objects conceived by me, I suggest the following:’
(Here Magritte drew a bowler hat with the label USAGE EXTERNE on it).
‘It is a bowler hat on which a label is fixed. If you want to have this object here is the way to operate.
1st you purchase a black bowler hat
2nd you ask someone to print for you a label such as those that can be found on the old chemists’ jars; and which is to be glued to the hat:
of the following approximate size…on golden paper, with black capital letters and a black frame… I will sign it here.’
(Here Magritte drew out the label precisely with USAGE EXTERNE Magritte written on it.)
‘The object is called Le Bouchon d’épouvante (The Stopper of Horror).
‘As a way of presenting this object, it seems to me that a sort of glass box – like a square aquarium – would be convenient? The hat presented within the box on a base.

See you one of these days, and very cordially yours.

René Magritte’

More details on Rene Magritte Tray Hat – Le Bouchon d’épouvante (1966):

• Dimensions: 14.96″ x 11.05″ x 0.5″
• Weight: 0.12 lbs (est)
• Material: Melamine.
• Additional features: Dishwasher friendly. Not microwave safe.