René Magritte’s L'Empire des lumières ("Empire of Light") set a new auction record on Tuesday, selling for $121.16 million at Christie’s in New York. The surrealist masterpiece led the autumn art sales amid a slowed global market since 2022.
René Magritte’s Empire of Light has set a world auction record for the Belgian surrealist artist, selling for $121.16 million at Christie’s in New York on Tuesday. This record-breaking sale highlights the resilience of the high-end art market.
Created in 1954, the painting had been estimated at $95 million, surpassing Magritte’s previous auction record of $79 million, achieved in 2022. Following an intense 10-minute bidding war, Empire of Light became the most expensive surrealist artwork ever sold at auction, according to Christie’s.
The piece—part of a series exploring the interplay of shadow and light—depicts a night scene with a house illuminated by a lamp post, set under a bright, blue daytime sky. Its haunting yet serene juxtaposition remains a hallmark of Magritte’s genius.
Magritte is celebrated as one of the most influential surrealist painters of the 20th century, renowned for his ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. His work often blends realistic depictions of everyday objects with dreamlike elements, creating unsettling and thought-provoking images. By challenging perceptions of reality, Magritte’s paintings evoke a sense of mystery and invite viewers to question what they see. His signature style of juxtaposing incongruous elements—such as a clear sky above a nocturnal landscape in Empire of Light—has cemented his place in the art world as a master of paradox and illusion.
Formerly part of the private collection of Mica Ertegun, an influential interior designer who fled communist Romania for the United States, the painting carries a rich provenance. Ertegun, who passed away in late 2023, was married to Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records.
This sale was one of the highlights of Christie’s autumn auction season in New York, at a time when the global art market has slowed following its $4.1 billion peak in 2022. Christie's reported total sales of $2.1 billion in the first half of 2023, marking the second consecutive year of decline.
In the same auction, a 1964 painting by American pop artist Ed Ruscha, titled Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, also set a new auction record for the artist, fetching $68.26 million.
Christie’s is owned by Artemis, the holding company of the Pinault family, which remains a major force in the international art world.
With AFP
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