When in high school, Emily Mae Smith gained an interest in René Magritte, the influential Belgian artist. Known for “The Treachery of Images,” colloquially “Ceci n’est pas une pipe,” and “The Son of Man,” the famous painting centering a man with an apple covering his face, Magritte inspired Smith with his approach to everyday life and use of imagery in popular culture.
From 2024-25, Smith premiered a rare exhibit — displaying her artworks alongside Magritte’s at the Magritte Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Smith participated in a conversation 23 years after her graduation with students at the art building on Thursday with Max Fields, director of the Visual Arts Center. Smith shared her path to becoming an internationally acclaimed artist, with works showing in major artistic centers such as Berlin, Paris, Belgrade and Montreal.
“When navigating your career … you’ll often hear people say it’s all about getting your foot in the door,” Fields said. “It’s not just about getting your foot in the door. It’s about knowing what doors exist.”
Smith said she learned the most at UT.
“I had professors who were not only exposing me to the physical practice of creating art, but to the world of ideas around it and critical thinking, critical theory, historical criticism, historical writings (and) art history,” Smith said. “I ended up with this well-rounded understanding of art as not just a vocation, but as a subject … that outlasts time.”
While at UT, Smith said she had amazing colleagues who pushed each other. Of those colleagues, Nate Heiges kept in contact with Smith after graduation and remains a close friend.
“One of the things that’s most important about being a student is developing relationships with your peers and colleagues,” Heiges said. “Not only because it could be useful down the road, but because having a dialogue with other artists is really important in terms of the development of your own work.”
Michael Mogavero, Smith’s former professor, said Smith’s early work blended aspects of traditional art and the quirky, humorous style that she’s known for.
“I looked at the paintings, (and I thought), ‘These are really powerful,’” Mogavero said. “‘We’re looking at somebody who really can (make it).’”
Smith said she and Magritte both interpret everyday life in unexpected ways. Smith’s signature motif is a broomstick-like female figure, which she said serves as a criticism of the way the female body is typically depicted in media. When curating the exhibit, Smith created a dialogue between Magritte’s and her works.
“I’m very influenced by (him),” Smith said. “There is a complexity of addressing everyday life that’s only told really from a masculine perspective in history. As a feminist painter, I have a very specific commentary about that (time) period.”
While at UT, Smith said she didn’t know where she would end up in her career, and certainly didn’t expect she would exhibit with one of the most well-known surrealist painters.
“Nobody knows what they’re going to do until they get there,” Smith said. “If you know what you’re going to do ahead of time, you’re not thinking big enough.
