Surrealism. Surrealism. Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938. The Museum Of Modern Art.

I just saw this magnificent show of 80 works by the great surrealist Rene Magritte, and although I know that his work might not be everyone's fur lined cup of tea I was totally enthralled, but then again I've always loved his work. The show features many of his most famous works along with many that were unknown to me, this is classic stuff which suddenly makes the entire world and the moma itself  look like a surrealist joke. Mr. Magritte's work is grotesque, funny, puzzling and very sexually charged. His paintings are also cinematic, in fact he might be the most cinematic painter of the early part of the 20th Century. There are all those frames that look like film images or even comic book strips and storyboards some with puns and play on words, crude jokes and floating body parts. Then there is his use of textures, and his delight in frustrating the viewer, by not showing us what we expect to see. The show opens next week, (I went to a member's preview) and sure it was a sunday, but it was just crawling with people, so be prepared for big crowds including some of the usual irritating ones who park themselves in front of a work, and stand there and chat about their travels, grandkids, and what they want to have for lunch, but don't look at the work, and think nothing of getting in the way of you looking at the painting. A cough and a dirty look works wonders with these idiots. I also looked at the very appealing and attractive Dorothea Rockburne show of drawings, and nearly had a heart attack when some teenage boob walked across one of her floor works, I never saw a guard get so upset. The new photography show also up and sputtering held very little interest for me, more moma tricks and gimmicks, they can take this garbage put it in a box, tie it up with ribbons and throw it in the deep blue sea for all I care.  So it was a typical day at this shit hole, that I love and hate at the same time.