Record proceeds of 121 million dollars for Magritte painting
Published: Wednesday, Nov 20th 2024, 12:30
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A painting by Belgian artist René Magritte has achieved record proceeds at an auction in New York. The surrealist painting "The Kingdom of Lights" went under the hammer on Tuesday evening for more than 121 million dollars, according to Christie's auction house. The previous record of 79 million dollars set two years ago for a work by Magritte was thus clearly surpassed.
"The Empire of Lights" ("L'Empire des Lumières") is one of a whole series of pictures that Magritte painted under this title. They all show a nocturnal street scene under a bright blue sky - and are considered masterpieces of surrealism.
The work now being sold comes from the art collection of New York interior designer Mica Ertegun. The Romanian-born artist, who was married to the founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, died at the end of 2023.
Christie's had estimated the painting at 95 million dollars before the auction. But after just ten minutes, it changed hands for 121.2 million dollars. According to Christie's, this is a record price for a Magritte painting and for a surrealist work of art in general.
Hoping for further sales in the millions
The Magritte painting was one of the highlights of the fall auctions in New York. The major auction houses are hoping for further sales in the millions in the coming days. A record price was also achieved at Christie's on Tuesday evening for a work by Pop Art artist Ed Ruscha. The painting "Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half", which depicts a petrol station, was auctioned for a good 68.3 million dollars.
Auction house Sotheby's is also hoping for good sales at the auction of several private collections, such as that of the late beauty entrepreneur Sydell Miller. The auctioneers are expecting between 170 and 205 million dollars for this collection alone, with a painting from Claude Monet's famous water lily series alone expected to fetch more than 60 million.
Banana with certificate of authenticity
Another highlight at the Sotheby's auction is another plant-based work: a banana attached to the wall with adhesive tape. The work "Comedian" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan caused controversy at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019.
The banana now up for auction is the third edition of the work - according to Sotheby's, the two predecessors were both eaten. The auction house estimates the work at between one and 1.5 million dollars, for which the buyer will receive a certificate of authenticity as well as instructions on how to replace the fruit if it has rotted.
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