‘The Empire of Lights’ by René Magritte is sold in New York for almost 115 million euros

‘The Empire of Lights’ by René Magritte has sold at a Christie’s auction in New York for more than 121 million dollars (almost 115 million euros), in what is the auction record for one of the artist’s works, according to ‘CNN’.

The estimate for the painting was around $95 million. This sale more than doubles the artist’s previous record price, as announced by Christie’s in X.

This painting is part of a series of homonymous paintings by the Belgian painter (1898-1967) that symbolize the play of light and shadows characteristic of his work.

The auction house describes the artwork as the “crown jewel” of the collection of its former owner, the late American interior designer Mica Ertegun. The auction also included paintings by other modern giants such as Ed Ruscha and Max Ernst.

The work shows a house with a street lamp in the middle of the composition. The light from the streetlamp illuminates the entire canvas, including the dark, almost black trees in the foreground, while the image is serenely reflected on a pool of water. Above the cityscape, a clear blue sky dotted with white clouds extends to the top of the canvas.

Two other works by Magritte were included in the auction: the paintings ‘The court of love’ y ‘Memory’which were sold for 10.53 million dollars (ten million euros) and 3.68 million dollars (3.5 million euros), respectively. On the other hand, a still life by the 87-year-old British artist David Hockney sold for more than 19 million dollars (18 million euros).