LONDON (AP) — A major work by surrealist painter René Magritte that hasn’t been shown in public for a quarter century could fetch 50 million pounds ($64 million) at auction next month.
Christie’s auction house announced Saturday that it will offer “L’ami intime” (The Intimate Friend) at a March 7 sale in London marking a century of the surrealist movement in art.
The painting includes several of the Belgian artist’s signature motifs, including a bowler-hatted man and fluffy white clouds on a blue sky.
Last exhibited publicly in Brussels in 1998, it’s being auctioned for the first time since 1980, and has a pre-sale estimate of between 30 million and 50 million pounds ($38 million and $64 million).
Camu said Magritte, who died in 1967, has become the most “in-demand” of all the surrealists.
Persons:
René Magritte, hasn’t, Olivier Camu, Magritte, Last, it’s, Andre Breton’s, ” Camu, Camu, Salvador Dali, “ Magritte, —, “, ”, Gilbert Kaplan —, Lena Kaplan
Locations:
London, Belgian, Brussels, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong