CNN —A rare painting from René Magritte’s famous “L’empire des lumières” series is estimated to sell for more than $95 million at Christie’s New York this fall, a sum that would break the Surrealist artist’s record at auction and represent a major win for the auction house after softened sales across the industry.
“L’empire des lumières,” from 1954, is one of the 27 paintings in which Magritte explored light by painting a sunlit sky above a darkened street scene.
René Magritte's L'empire des lumières Courtesy of Chrstie’sThe present painting comes from the estate of the late Mica Ertegun, an interior designer who was married to Ahmet Ertegun, a co-founder of Atlantic Records and a prolific art collector.
“But of all the works she lived with, Magritte’s ‘L’empire des lumières’ most nearly captures her aesthetic philosophy in its balance and restraint,” Max Carter, Christie’s vice chairman of 20th and 21st century art, said in a statement.
Last week, the auction house revealed it is acquiring Gooding & Company, a collector car auctioneer, 17 years after exiting the car market.
Persons:
René, Magritte, Mica Ertegun, Ahmet Ertegun, Joan Miró, David Hockney, Ertegun, Andy Warhol, Magritte’s, ” Max Carter, Ertegun Magritte, Christie’s
Organizations:
The Art, CNN, Christie’s, Belgian, Atlantic Records, Humanities, Oxford University , Jazz, Lincoln Center, Fund, Gooding & Company
Locations:
York, ”, Sotheby’s, London, New York