A painting by Belgian surrealist René Magritte was sold for a record-breaking $121.16 million (€114 million) at an auction in New York on Tuesday evening.
The painting, titled L'empire des lumières ('The Empire of Light') dates back to 1954 and features a solitary lamp post illuminating a darkened street, juxtaposed with a bright blue day-lit sky. It is one of 18 versions painted by Magritte in different mediums (oil and gouache) and with slight variations.
The work was auctioned on Tuesday evening at the Rockefeller Center, the New York headquarters of the auction house Christie’s. The painting had already been tipped to be sold for a record figure of around $95 million, but the final sale price exceeded expectations.
"This is a world record for a René Magritte painting sold at auction," confirmed Charly Herscovici, president of the Magritte Foundation, shortly after the sale.
'Wonderful' result
"It is the most expensive Magritte sold at auction, although other paintings have fetched higher prices in private sales," commented Herscovici, calling the result "wonderful".
The work was acquired for $105 million (€99 million) under the hammer, but the final price reached $121 million (€114 million) with fees included, according to Christie’s.
L'empire des lumières, Rene Magritte. Credit: Christie's
The buyer is an American collector whose identity has not been disclosed, and who competed with another potential buyer from Asia, Herscovici added.
"This painting from the The Empire of Light series is one of the most beautiful in its staging, quality, and play of light and dark," described Charly Herscovici.
It was the "highlight" of the auction of several artworks from the collection of the late Mica Ertegun, an interior designer and art collector, he said.
Other Magritte works under the hammer
Two other paintings by Magritte were also sold at the event. The Courtship (1960) achieved a price of $10.5 million (€9.91 million), and Memory (1945) was sold for $3.68 million (€3.47 million).
These prices were "expected", according to Herscovici, as they fell within the estimated range.
In a separate lot featuring 20th-century works, a gouache by Magritte, also titled The Empire of Light (1956), was auctioned by Christie’s on Tuesday evening and fetched $18.8 million (€17.74 million), setting another record for a gouache by the Belgian surrealist the same night.
