Mysterious Magritte Painting Could Fetch $63M at Auction
about 3 months ago (02/11/2024)
Mysterious Magritte Painting Could Fetch $63M at Auction Skip to content René Magritte, “L’ami intime (The Intimate Friend)” (1958), oil on canvas, 28.5/8 x 25.1/2 inches (image courtesy the Gilbert and Lena Kaplan Collection and Christie’s London) In a centenary celebration of the artistic and literary movement spawned by André Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto (1924), Christie’s London will host its Art of the Surreal evening sale on March 7 with a leading highlight that hasn’t been shown since 1998. After over 40 years in a private collection, Belgian surrealist René Magritte’s “L’ami intime (The Intimate Friend)” (1958) is emerging into the market with a high estimate of £50 million (~$37.8 million to $63 million). Magritte, arguably best known for his iconic artwork “ The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe) ” (1929), frequently presented ordinary objects in unusual contexts in dreamlike compositions that evoke feelings of both serenity and discomfort.