After a ten-minute bidding war, a painting from Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" ("Empire of Light") series fetched a record-breaking $121 million on Tuesday. The artwork, famous for its interplay of light and shadow, portrays a house at night illuminated by a street lamp, set against a blue daytime sky. The sale occurred at Christie's in New York, marking the highest price ever paid for a piece of surrealist art at auction. Magritte created this piece in 1957, but throughout his career, he produced 17 oil paintings and 10 gouaches all titled "L'empire des lumières". This sale also positions Magritte as the 16th artist to surpass the $100 million mark, according to data from French market analyst company Artprice. Other artists who have achieved this milestone include Andy Warhol, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso, whose works have sold for over $100 million at six auctions. This particular painting was part of the collection of Romanian-American interior designer Mica Ertegun. Magritte's early works, dating from around 1915, were characterized by an Impressionistic style. He later studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In the late 1920s, when Magritte moved to Paris, he formed a friendship with French writer André Breton and became involved with the Surrealist movement.
Source link: https://www.euronews.com
