Rene Magritte’s “Empire of Light” set a new auction record on Tuesday at Christie’s in New York for more than $121 million. The 1954 masterpiece was initially estimated at $95 million, surpassing the Surrealist artist’s 2022 record of $79 million.
The painting, which depicts a bright house against a blue daytime sky contrasting with a dark night, attracted collectors. This is part of the Light and Shadow series and one of Magritte’s most iconic works.
The piece belonged to the late Mica Ertegun, a Romanian-born interior designer and patron of the arts. Ertegun, who died in 2023, was an important figure in American culture and the wife of Atlantic Records founder Ahmed Ertegun. The sale, one of the highlights of the fall auction season, has yet to be identified.
The achievement places Magritte among an elite group of artists whose works have surpassed the $100 million mark at auction, joining the likes of Picasso and Warhol. Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s Americas, described the event as “a historic moment for our saleroom.”
What is Surrealism?
Surrealism was a 20th-century art movement that aimed to unlock the subconscious by blending dreamlike imagery with reality. The sport originated in the 1920s and was heavily influenced by the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud. It encourages the use of unexpected juxtapositions and illogical scenes to challenge conventional wisdom.
Artists such as Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali and Max Ernst became synonymous with Surrealism, and their works often evoked deep introspection or unease. Magritte is particularly famous for his ability to present ordinary objects in extraordinary contexts, forcing viewers to question their perception of reality.
In addition, a conceptual art work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at Sotheby’s New York for US$6.2 million. The piece, a banana taped to a wall, attracted widespread attention when it debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, where its artistic merit was hotly debated.
The latest sale is to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who is selling for a staggering increase from the original price of $150,000. Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that allowed him to recreate the piece and announced that he planned to “consume it as part of an artistic experience.”
