“The Empire of Lights” set a record Tuesday for the artist and for a work of surrealism, which also makes it one of the most expensive paintings in history at auction.
Empire of lightsiconic image of René Magrittesold on Tuesday night, November 19 at Christie’s in New York for $121 million, setting a record at an auction for the artist, a century of the surrealist movement. After about ten minutes of battle at Rockefeller Center, the work was sold for only $121,160,000 (commissions and taxes included), the highest amount for a work of surrealism, which also makes it one of the most expensive historical paintings at auction.
This painting is part of a series of untitled paintings by the Belgian painter (1898-1967) symbolizing the play of light and shadow that he loved so much. It represents the paradoxical image of a house at night, lit only by a street lamp, under a blue sky during the day. The picture inspired the American director William Friedkin for the famous horror film The Exorcist (1973). It was part of the private collection of Mica Ertegun, an interior designer who fled communist Romania to the United States, where she was an influential figure in the art world. She died at the age of 97 at the end of 2023, she was the wife of Ahmet Ertegun, the music mogul who founded the record company Atlantic Records, famous for “signing” Led Zeppelin.
This week’s main event
Previous record for work of René Magritte will be auctioned at $79 million in 2022, still for a photo from the series Empire of Lights. The sale of this work was expected to be the main event of this week of fall sales in New York, while the art market has slowed down since 2023, after a higher festival than 2022 when which the coronavirus pandemic was released.
Christie’s, an auction house controlled by Artémis, a holding company of the Pinault family, announced sales of $2.1 billion in the first half of 2024, down for the second year in a row after reaching a record high of $4.1 billion in in 2022. On the same Tuesday auction evening, photo by Ed Ruscha, General Station, Ten-Cent Western being torn in halfsold for $68,260,000 million, setting a new auction record for this living figure of American pop art (86 years old).
2024-11-20 02:48:00
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Interview:
Interviewer: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today we have two esteemed guests joining us to discuss the record-breaking auction sale of René Magritte’s “The Empire of Lights.” Our first guest is Dr. Sarah Thompson, an art historian and professor at the prestigious Metropolitan University. With her, we have John Doe, a private art collector who currently owns a number of Magritte’s works. Welcome to the program.
Dr. Thompson: Thank you for having me.
John Doe: The pleasure is mine.
Interviewer: Let’s start with a brief summary of what happened during the auction. Dr. Thompson, can you tell us more about the significance of this painting within Magritte’s oeuvre and its impact on the surrealist movement?
Dr. Thompson: Certainly, the “Empire of Lights” is part of a series of untitled paintings by Magritte that explore the play of light and darkness, which he was fascinated with. It’s an image of a house during the day, lit only by a streetlamp under a blue sky, which represents the paradox that the artist loved so much. This particular work inspired the famous horror film “The Exorcist.” It was also a part of Mica Ertegun’s private collection, an influential figure in the art world who fled communist Romania to the United States and was known for her extraordinary taste in art.
Interviewer: That’s fascinating. John Doe, as someone who collects Magritte’s paintings, what do you think makes this particular work so special and valuable?
John Doe: Well, the reason I own other Magritte paintings is that they appeal to me on a personal level. They speak to our subconscious and make us question reality. The ”Empire of Lights” is unique because it’s a surrealist masterpiece that appeals to both art connoisseurs and popular culture enthusiasts. The theme of light and darkness is relatable, and the fact that it was owned by someone as influential as Mica Ertegun only adds to its significance.
Interviewer: Absolutely. Given that this painting set a record for both Magritte and surrealist
