Artwork details · 2026-05-26

The Child's Brain

by Giorgio de Chirico · 1914

The Child's Brain by Giorgio de Chirico

Artist

Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico was a Greek-Italian artist and writer born in Volos, Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the scuola metafisica art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His best-known works often feature Roman arcades, long shadows, mannequins, trains, and illogical perspective. His imagery reflects his affinity for the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and of Friedrich Nietzsche, and for the mythology of his birthplace.

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Artwork

The Child's Brain is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1914 in Italy and is an example of the metaphysical art style. The painting measures 80 by 65 centimeters and is now housed at Moderna Museet, Stockholm. The subject of The Child's Brain is a nude young man, seen from the waist up, who is standing behind a table with his eyes closed.

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Quick facts

Artist
Giorgio de Chirico
Year
1914
Movement
Metaphysical Art
Country
Greece
Location
Moderna Museet