For the first time since 1980, René Magritte's L'ami intime from 1958 will go under the hammer this spring, carrying an estimate of £30-50 million ($37-63 million). And this is even more of an event since this year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of André Breton's Surrealist Manifesto.
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The painting comes from the collection of Gilbert and Lena Kaplan and was last publicly exhibited in 1998 at the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels.
L'ami intime contains one of the most important symbols associated with the artist: the bowler hat. Since it first appeared in the 1926 painting Les rêveries du promeneur solitaire, the bowler hat became a true leitmotif in Magritte's works, symbolizing anonymity and lonely wanderers. In L'ami intime ("The Intimate Friend"), the subject's anonymity is enhanced by the fact that he is seen from behind. While he's busy looking at the scenery, he doesn't notice the baguette and glass of wine floating behind him. It is the emphasis on the unknown that emphasizes the mystery and poetry of the painting, creating an intriguing contradiction to the title.
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Among the few "bowler-hat" paintings that are still in private ownership, L'ami intime is also distinguished by the artist's hyper-realistic technique.
Olivier Camu, vice president of impressionist and modern art at Christie's London, calls Magritte's masterpiece "extremely poetic, silent and mysterious" and believes that he is the most sought-after and valuable Surrealist artist, a claim supported by the high prices achieved on the auction market. Magritte's iconic painting L'empire des lumières at Sotheby's London in March 2022 achieved a record £59.4 million (about $79.2 million).
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Ahead of its auction, L'ami intime will be exhibited publicly for the first time in 26 years, traveling to Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong before the sale in London on March 7.
You can find more news from the auction market in Barnebys Magazine