René Magritte's Painting Becomes the Most Expensive Surrealist Artwork Ever

new york - A painting by the Belgian artist René Magritte has become the most expensive surrealist artwork ever sold, fetching $121 million at an auction in New York.

An oil painting by René Magritte, titled L'empire des lumières (The Empire of the Lights) and painted in 1954, has set a new record as the most expensive surrealist artwork ever sold. The painting, measuring 146 by 114 centimeters, depicts a street scene in a suburb with a house illuminated by a single streetlight. In the foreground, Magritte painted water reflecting the light of the streetlamp. The sky above the house and surrounding trees is filled with light blue sky and white clouds in the upper part of the canvas.

The surrealist artist, who lived from 1898 to 1967, created the painting under unusual circumstances. After showcasing it with great fanfare at the Venice Biennale in 1954, he promised the work to three different buyers. Eventually, he sold it to a fourth buyer, the American art collector Peggy Guggenheim.