Our cover this month, “Les Belles Reálités” (131/2 in. by 101/4 in) by René Magritte, sold for $1,450,106 at Sotheby’s Surrealist Art Evening Sale in London on Feb. 3, 2015. The Belgium-born Magritte was a noted surrealist painter; however, he worked in a more representation style than other famous surrealists, like Miró and Dali.
His work frequently displays a collection of ordinary objects. The surrealism comes from how he organizes these objects, as opposed to the distortion of the images themselves. He even went so far as to create several pieces that were simply surrealist versions of other artists’ famous works. His intent was to give new meaning to, or occasionally remove all meaning entirely from, everyday images.
Similarly, a number of the articles in this month’s issue deal with some of the trappings of family businesses, and even families themselves, that we so often take for granted. By attempting to find new meaning in or, like Magritte, remove all meaning from some of these traditional assumptions, advisors can unlock new, innovative ways to assist their clients.
