Réne Magritte’s L’empire des lumières just became the most valuable work of Surrealist art ever sold at auction. The mysterious painting catalyzed a 10-minute bidding war during the first of two successive auctions at Christie’s on Tuesday, November 19.
Christie’s Fetches $460 Million Across Two Evening Sales
Following Monday’s lineup of evening auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s staged its own double feature on Tuesday, November 19. Across two sales—the first featuring a prestigious single-owner collection and the second comprising other 20th-century art—the New York auction house brought in a total of $460 million (with fees). The night began with the sale of paintings and sculptures from the estate of Mica Ertegun, a well-known interior designer and art collector who “epitomized style and sophistication for a generation and beyond,” said Christie’s. The auction house also noted that Ertegun, who died last year at age 97, was among the first serious collectors of Surrealist art. All 19 lots from the Ertegun estate sold for a combined total of $183.9 million—including a much-anticipated trio of Magritte masterpieces.
Magritte Joins the $100 Million Club
The highlight of the evening was the record-setting sale of a 1954 version of René Magritte‘s L’empire des lumières. The Belgian Surrealist created 17 versions of L’empire des lumières in oil, plus several others in gouache, between 1949 and 1964. They all depict a house lit up from the inside, shrouded by darkly silhouetted trees, and set against an uncannily daylit sky. Mica Ertegun purchased her version of L’empire des lumières from a Magritte solo exhibition in 1968 for an unknown price, most likely in the mid-five figures. According to Christie’s, this version “is considered Magritte’s finest work from the series” and is “the first time he introduced a body of water into the mysterious street scene.”
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterAt last night’s auction, the Magritte masterpiece fetched $121.2 million (with fees) against an unpublished estimate of over $95 million. This winning bid significantly surpassed the artist’s previous record, which was set in 2022 when Sotheby’s London sold a 1961 version of L’empire des lumières for $79.4 million. It also set a new world record for the most valuable Surrealist artwork ever sold at auction. “It’s an iconic image for Magritte, for Surrealism and Modern art,” art dealer Emmanuel Di Donna told Artnet. “Some works of art transcend the movement, and this is one of them. The brand recognition of Magritte is incredibly strong.”
Surrealism Steals the Show
A total of three Magritte masterpieces from Ertegun’s collection, including the record-breaker, hit the auction block at Christie’s. La cour d’amour, a 1960 painting of asymmetrical curtained windows, sold for $10.5 million (with fees) against an estimate of $9 million to $12 million. Ertegun purchased the work at a New York gallery not long after Magritte painted it. Additionally, Magritte’s Surrealist still life La Mémoire, which depicts a Neoclassical bust with blood splashed across one eye, fetched $3.6 million against an estimate of $3 million to $5 million.
In the year of its centenary, Surrealism has attracted a lot of attention from the art market. On Monday, Sotheby’s sold a rare sculpture by British-Mexican Surrealist Leonora Carrington for $11.4 million against a presale estimate of $5 million to $7 million. Like Magritte, Carrington also smashed her previous auction record this year when her “defining masterpiece” sold for $28.5 million at Sotheby’s in May.
