Magritte masterpiece ‘L’Empire des lumières' sells for record $121m at New York auction

A painting by Belgian artist René Magritte has sold for a record  $121m (€114m) at Christie’s in New York.

The 1954 version of his seminal surrealist series L’Empire des lumières (The Empire of Light) had been valued at €95m, while the previous record for a Magritte work was set at €79m in 2022.

After almost 10 minutes of frantic bidding on Tuesday evening, the hammer came down at $121,160,000, “achieving a world-record price for the artist and for a surrealist work of art at auction,” said Christie’s.

The oil painting depicts a house at night, illuminated by a lamp-post while incongruously standing under a bright blue sky. It is part of a series by the Belgian artist that showed the interplay of shadow and light.

"Magritte’s finest work from the series"

“Magritte explored nocturnal landscapes bathed in daylight across 17 unique paintings throughout his career,” according to Christie’s. The 1954 example reflected the artist’s technical mastery and penchant for making the familiar uncanny. “It is considered Magritte’s finest work from the series and the first time he introduced a body of water into the mysterious street scene,” added the auction house.

The masterpiece originated from the collection of late interior designer Mica Ertegun, who was married to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. As an influential art collector, she also owned works by Joan Miró and David Hockney.

In addition to l’Empire des lumières, two other Magrittes were sold at the auction, both achieving their estimates. La Cour d’amour (1960) fetched $10.5m, while La Mémoire (1945) sold for $3.68m). A 1956 gouache version of l’Empire des lumières also achieved a record price for a Magritte gouache, selling for $18.8m.

Photos: (main image) ©Christie’s auction house; Magritte L'Empire des lumières 1954, collection Mica Ertegun ©Christie’s