Post by The Museum of Modern Art

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery❓ Artist René Magritte was certainly a fan. He took inspiration for his painting “The Menaced Assassin” from the popular crime fiction series “Fantômas.” Magritte was an avid fan of the pre-World War I film series, which centered around a criminal genius who can convincingly disguise himself as almost anyone. Magritte wanted to create a world as immersive and fantastical as the one portrayed in “Fantômas.” The result of his efforts is the unsolvable narrative of this enduringly mysterious painting. 💭 What do you think is happening in “The Menaced Assassin”? See this work and more by Magritte on view now in our fifth-floor galleries. — René Magritte. The Menaced Assassin. Brussels. 1927. Kay Sage Tanguy Fund. © 2026 C. Herscovici, Brussels / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.