Christie’s brings Magritte’s surrealist masterpiece to auction

Created around 1961, the painting is known for its intense colors and the leaf-bird motif, a symbol of Magritte’s fascination with metamorphosis and visual paradoxes. The work has been exhibited at the Magritte Museum in Brussels since its opening in 2009 and is considered one of the Belgian artist’s most mature creations. Unlike previous versions of the subject, the leafbirds here emerge in front of a solid background of blue foliage, creating an effect of suspension and transformation that challenges the perception of reality. In the foreground, a single bird spreads its wings, leaving open the question: will it fly or remain earthbound?

Olivier Camu, vice president of Christie’s for Impressionist and Modern Art, underlines how Magritte in the early 1960s “returned to previous compositions to explore new meanings and renew their poetic force”. Before the London auction, Les grâces naturelles will be exhibited in Hong Kong from 3 to 6 February and in London from 25 February. The event is part of Christie’s Marquee Week, dedicated to 20th and 21st century art and the only international auction focused exclusively on Surrealism, active since 1989 with record results. (by Paolo Martini)