Edward James was an eccentric poet, collector, and patron of both Dalí and Magritte. In 1937, when Magritte visited James in London, he painted a vertical version of his 1929 canvas On the Threshold of Liberty to install in the stairwell; he also photographed his host and patron in front of the painting. The photographic description is so close to the painter's realistic style, and James is so close to the painting, that he seems to stand on the threshold-evidently unaware that the potential liberty before him is threatened by the heavy artillery at his side.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
Inscription: Inscribed on print, verso C: " "Edward James // devant "Au Sevil // de la Liberté" "; stamped on print, verso C: "7 232"; inscribed on print, verso LL: "MAGRITTE 4";
Marcel Marien (Belgian Surrealist in Magritte's circle); [Prakapas Gallery]; John C. Waddell, March 5, 1983
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 23–December 31, 1989.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 28–April 22, 1990.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 10–July 15, 1990.
High Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 5–April 28, 1991.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 8–August 4, 1991.
IVAM, Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia. "The New Vision, IVAM, Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia," January 20, 1995–March 26, 1995.
Fundación "La Caixa", Madrid. "Lost Bodies, Photography and the Surrealists," November 23, 1995–January 14, 1996.
Caixa Forum, Fundacion "La Caixa", Barcelona. "Lost Bodies, Photography and the Surrealists," February 20, 1996–April 14, 1996.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. "Alfred Hitchcock," November 16, 2000–March 18, 2001.
Centre Georges Pompidou. "Alfred Hitchcock," June 6, 2001–September 30, 2001.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Portraits: A Century of Photographs," September 10, 2002–January 13, 2003.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Johnson Gallery, Selections from the Collection 58," January 10–May 6, 2012.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938," September 17, 2013–January 13, 2014.
Menil Collection. "Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938," February 13, 2014–June 1, 2014.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938," June 25, 2014–October 13, 2014.
Umland, Anne, ed. Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938. New York: Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2013. no. 127, pp. 226–227.
René Magritte (Belgian, Lessines 1898–1967 Brussels)
1928
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's Department of Photographs houses a collection of more than 75,000 works spanning the history of photography from its invention in the 1830s to the present.
![[Woman at the Beach]](/Rodan/dist/svg/no-image-image-related.svg)
