René Magritte’s La reconnaissance infinie (1933) is poised to headline Christie’s “The Art of the Surreal” evening sale on March 5th in London. The painting holds a presale estimate of £6,000,000–£9,000,000 ($7.5 million–$11.3 million), a notable increase from its last auction price of £677,250 ($1.2 million) at Christie’s London in 2004.
La reconnaissance infinie features a variegated orb hovering above a serene mountainous landscape. On top of the orb, a suited figure stands with one hand tucked into his pocket. The scene is framed by a window sill as if the viewer is observing the orb and tranquil terrain, evocative of the landscape of Magritte’s childhood home in Hainaut, Belgium.
After three years immersed among the Surrealists in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930. “It was [in Paris] that his mysterious visual language truly began to solidify, as he set out to challenge and undercut established traditions of representation in painting and forge a distinctive new path within Surrealism,” Christie’s deputy chairman Olivier Camu told Artsy. La reconnaissance infinie features several motifs the artist developed during his time in Paris, particularly the giant orb, which appeared in several paintings from 1928 to 1931.
Magritte’s friend, the Surrealist poet Paul Colinet, partly inspired the painting. In 1933, Colinet visited an exhibition of Magritte’s work and subsequently gifted the painter a drawing of a small man floating on an orb through a mountain valley.
“While the composition appears to echo and reflect certain aspects of earlier paintings from the Paris period—particularly the floating, mysterious orb—Magritte explores and expands the poetic potential of his imagery,” Camu said. “Here, the presence of the figure atop the sphere conjures a strange, metaphysical question, prompting the viewer to reconsider their own position within the universe, floating on a globe as it hurtles through space.”
The announcement is the latest major work by Magritte to come to auction after two paintings by the artist ranked among the 10 most expensive auction lots of 2024. His painting L’empire des lumières (1954) was the most expensive auction lot of last year and established a new record for the artist when it sold for $121.16 million at Christie’s New York in November.
“As a true conceptual poet, his ideas resonate universally, making his work highly desirable,” Camu said. “Demand for Magritte continues to grow, driving prices steadily upward, with collectors showing interest in all periods of his oeuvre.”
“The Art of the Surreal” will also feature five additional paintings by Magritte:
- La lumière du pôle (1926-27), estimated at £4.5 million–£6.5 million ($5.6 million–$8.2 million).
- Le faux miroir (1952),estimated at £1.5 million–£2.5 million ($1.89 million–$3.1 million).
- La femme du maçon (1958),estimated at £1.6 million–£2.4 million ($2 million–$3.02 million).
- L’école buissonnière (1946),estimated at £500,000–£800,000 ($630,000–$1 million).
- Le stropiat (1948), estimated at £1 million–£1.5 million ($1.2 million–$1.89 million).
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