René Magritte
1898-1967 · Belgian · Surrealism
Auction record: $121.16M
L'empire des lumières, 1954 · Christie's, New York · Nov 19, 2024
Source: news.artnet.com
Biography
René Magritte was the leading Belgian Surrealist, known for deadpan images that question the relation between objects, words and representation: the pipe that is not a pipe, men in bowler hats, skies of daylight above night streets. Working mostly in Brussels, he built a cool, illustrative style that later fed into Pop and conceptual art. His market has risen sharply in the last decade. In November 2024 L'empire des lumières (1954) sold for 121.2 million dollars at Christie's New York, a record for the artist and for any Surrealist work, and in 2025 two more paintings passed 12 million dollars. Iconic subjects from his recurring series are the most liquid and most expensive part of the market.
Recent auction results
| Le Jockey perduSotheby's, New York | $12.34M | Nov 20, 2025 | heni.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| La magie noireSotheby's, Paris | $12.36M | Oct 24, 2025 | heni.com |
| La malédictionSotheby's, Paris | $1.11M | Oct 24, 2025 | heni.com |
| L'empire des lumièresChristie's, New York | $121.16M | Nov 19, 2024 | news.artnet.com |
Market
- Liquidity: High
Museums
- Musée Magritte Museum (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique), Bruxelles
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- The Menil Collection, Houston
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venezia
Sources
- Artnet News, Magritte record at Christie's
- HENI News, Sotheby's Surrealism and Its Legacy, Paris October 2025
- HENI News, Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction November 2025
- Brussels Times, Magritte record
Follow the artists and receive alerts in the Unicorn Art Watch app.
Investing involves the risk of losing capital.
© Unicorn Private LLC · Unicorn Private Research