On this Bastille Day, I am pleased to report that Rene Magritte is alive and well and creating art in New York City:
For the sake of comparison, here is one of Magritte’s earlier works:
In case you’re wondering about the power of art, I staked out this spot for a while, to see whether a bicycle would be chained to it. New Yorkers do sometimes interpret a prohibition as a dare. But no bikes appeared. Either the sign is very effective or the glowering shop owner, who was standing next to this tree every time I passed, scares cyclists into compliance. Either way, enjoy Bastille Day. (Especially you, Don and Avram, my art historian friends.)