René Magritte is a unique figure within the Surrealist movement, who never ceased to question the supposed superiority of the word on the image. His work was fulfilled with allusions to the myths founders of Western culture (Plato, Pliny the Elder, the Old Testament, Cicero...), in which Magritte anchored his thinking. The artist seeked to raise painting to the level of poetry, music and philosophy.

A catalogue with an original and pedagogical approach : the book revolves around 5 founder myths, each one associated to a classical painting. Essays by contemporary philosophers and art historians analyze the influence of these myths on Magritte creative process and on his reflection on the status of art. A corpus of letters complete the book, illustrating the correspondence between Magritte and the great philosophers of his time.