A painting by surrealist artist René Magritte, held in a private collection for over 90 years, is set to go on sale in Paris later this month. 'La Magie Noire' was originally purchased by the family of Suzanne Spaak, a World War II resistance heroine who was executed by the Gestapo for helping Jewish children escape the Nazis.
Sotheby's estimates the work will fetch between €5 million and €7 million, but expects it could sell for considerably more. Thomas Bompard, vice-president of Sotheby's France, described the painting as 'the superstar of surrealism' and noted it is the first major Magritte work he has handled that has remained in the same family since it was created.
The painting dates from a difficult period in Magritte's career. After a savage critical reception to his first exhibition in Brussels in 1927, he moved to Paris but failed to gain traction. Returning to Belgium in 1930, he formed an advertising agency with his brother. Between 1930 and 1932, Magritte sold nothing and had no exhibitions, as surrealists were considered 'revolutionary troublemakers'.
Suzanne Spaak's husband, Claude, a celebrated Belgian playwright, was a benefactor who commissioned portraits and arranged a monthly stipend for Magritte. In 1934, Suzanne's sister Alice Lorge bought 'La Magie Noire' to mark the birth of her first child. The model for the painting was Magritte's wife, Georgette Berger, depicted with a dove on her shoulder and her upper body blending into the sky.
Suzanne Spaak joined the French Resistance after the Nazi occupation of Paris, using her fortune to save 163 Jewish children. She was arrested in October 1943 and executed on 12 August 1944, days before the liberation of Paris. She has since been honoured as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
'La Magie Noire' will be exhibited at Sotheby's Paris from 17 to 23 October before its sale on 24 October. The painting has rarely been seen outside Belgium in nine decades.
