A largely unpublicized monumental work by the leading figure of Surrealism, René Magritte, is estimated to fetch £50 million ($64 million) at a Christie's London auction on March 7. The sale marks the celebration of the movement reaching its centennial anniversary next month, AP News reports.
'The Intimate Friend' Painting by René Magritte
This particular 1968 piece is chock full of motifs that the Belgian surrealist was known for, specifically, the inclusion of a bowler-hatted in the foreground of a fairly clouded blue sky.
The man is depicted facing away from the viewer, and in front of his backside, a wine glass and a baguette are "surrealistically" floating.
According to Christie's Deputy Chairman for Impressionist and Modern Art Oliver Camu, as quoted by AP, the "highly dreamy" and equally "poetic" piece stands as Magritte's most important among those that are held in private collections.
Publicly, the painting was last exhibited in 1998 in Brussels and is currently going under the hammer for the first time in over 40 years.
As of now, the auction house says that the piece has a pre-sale valuation teetering between £30 million to £50 million, or roughly around $38 million to $64 million.
This sale is in line with the centennial anniversary of Andre Breton's "Surrealist Manifesto," which is largely regarded as the singular piece of inspiration that informed artists about the paradoxical characteristics that the movement is now recognized for having.
"Now it's become usual to think of the subconscious, psychology, psychoanalysis -- but they were the ones who opened the doors," Camu said, citing Magritte's most famous piece "This is Not a Pipe" as one of surrealism's defining pieces.
Ever since the Belgian artist died in 1967, the price of his works only soared higher, even compared to his surrealist contemporaries like Salvador Dali.
Unlike Dali, however, Magritte's work is almost completely nonsensical, not a single one of his pieces features cultural and religious references.
As per Camu, this is because the Belgian painter usually did not "explain anything." In fact, the titles he uses for his works are mostly suggested by his friends. In essence, his imagery is completely "conceptual" and clean, which makes it highly "accessible" to just about anybody.
Now, "anybody" will be able to enjoy the piece on display ahead of its sale at Christie's in LA on Feb. 3, 5, and 6; in New York on Feb. 9 through 14; in Hong Kong on Feb. 21 through 23; and finally, in London on March 1 through 7.
