Two rare works by Magritte to be auctioned in France
Two rare artworks by René Magritte will be sold at auction in France in March. The combined value of the works, created by the Belgian surrealist between 1930 and 1940, is estimated at around 350,000 euros.
Magritte was a pioneer of surrealism and renowned for his ability to merge the ordinary with the dreamlike, creating works that challenge perception and reality. At an auction late last year in New York, his painting L'Empire des lumières fetched 121.16 million dollars, a world record for surrealist art at the time.
On 8 March, two rare works by Magritte will be auctioned at the Caen Enchéres in Normandy. The first work, Sans titre, is a “painting object”, consisting of a small painted panel, measuring 25.5 x 21 cm, with a cloudy sky and a pebble in the middle. The whole piece is reminiscent of a painter's palette. The work is estimated to be worth between 150,000 and 200,000 euros.
“That type of creation, with which Magritte explores the boundary between art and the everyday object, is extremely rare on the market”
“That type of creation, with which Magritte explores the boundary between art and the everyday object, is extremely rare on the market,” the auction house said. “Today, only Le fait primitif (1936), kept in a private collection in New York and included in the artist's oeuvre catalogue, can be compared to it.”
The second work, Sans titre (Nu de face), consists of a drawing of a nude woman, made with coloured pencils in warm tones and signed in the upper left corner. Its value is said to be between 100,000 and 150,000 euros.
“It is a recurring subject in the artist's work and refers to emblematic works such as La Connaissance naturelle (1941) or Le Brasier (1945-1946),” the auction house said.
Both works come from the collection of Ernst Moerman. He was a Belgian lawyer, writer and filmmaker who was close to the Surrealists in Paris in the 1920s. He acquired the works directly from Magritte.
Art piece on the walking trail "In the footsteps of Magritte" in Brussels, 2023 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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