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A notable painting from the renowned surrealist painter René Magritte that has remained within a single private possession for more than 90 years will go to go auctioned this October.

The Intriguing History Behind the Artwork

The painting was first purchased by the relatives of Spaak, an World War II underground heroine that served as the artist's benefactor at an time where Magritte was struggling financially and failed to move any piece over two years.

She was executed at the hands of Nazi forces in Paris due to her actions to help Jewish children find safety.

Sale Projections with Anticipations

This auction house has estimated which La Magie Noire could fetch between €5m to €7m, however experts anticipate that it will reach a much higher price.

“It is the initial instance I have handled an important Magritte work that has stayed in the same family from its creation,” stated an senior art market official. This is remarkable, as is the story of the family.”

The official also described this work as “the Taylor Swift of surrealism,” adding that “If you were to ask a group of students to do a report on surrealism, this artwork alone could be sufficient to define it.”

The Artist's Formative Challenges with Professional Growth

This Belgian artist first was employed as a designer at a wallpaper plant also produced commercial ads before 1926, at which point he produced his first avant-garde work.

The following year, he held his first exhibition in Brussels, however reviewers were savage and disheartened the artist moved to France, in which he was unable to establish his mark.

Magritte returned to Belgium in 1930 and established an advertising agency with his brother Paul Magritte.

The artist's life was quite hard during that period. The Great Depression which began in 1929 in America affected the French economy in the early 1930s. Over a two-year span, from 1930 to 1932, Magritte sold no works and held no exhibitions,” the specialist explained.

“Nobody was buying artworks from surrealist artists. These artists were viewed as revolutionary troublemakers.”

This Influence of the Benefactors

Spaak’s spouse, Claude Spaak, a celebrated Belgian playwright, knew Magritte acting as a patron, ordering portraits of his wife and children while also organizing regular financial support for Magritte and his household.

In 1934, Suzanne Spaak’s sibling Alice, called Bunny, acquired La Magie Noire to celebrate the arrival of her newborn alongside Emile, an industrial industrialist.

“The Spaak family was to Belgium like the Mountbattens were to the UK; almost aristocratic and they pulled the artist out of difficulty,” an expert commented. “It was bought to commemorate the birth of a child but it was a rebirth for the painter as he was trying to recover financially.”

Artistic Features with Meaning

The subject for the series was Magritte’s wife, Georgette, who is portrayed in a classical manner like a marble statue resting her hand on a stone block.

Her upper body slowly merges with the sky in the background whereas her lower half retains its realistic coloring.

The artist later created 10 similar works, most of which were given distinct titles. In this work, the first of the series, Berger appears with a dove on her right shoulder.

One-third of the background displays a partially paneled interior wall.

Suzanne Spaak’s Heroic Underground Work

Suzanne and Claude Spaak resided in the French capital when war broke out in the late 1930s.

After the Nazi occupation of the French capital, she became part of the resistance and served as a participant of the “Red Orchestra” intelligence unit.

Spaak employed her wealth to save 163 Jewish children from being deported, sheltering several of them at her home before they were relocated to secure locations.

Final End and Historical Impact

In October 1943, the Nazis arrested her along with 600 members of the network.

On 12 August 1944, days before the liberation of the city, the Gestapo killed Spaak in her prison cell. She was 38 and was later recognized by the state of Israel among the Righteous for her efforts in saving Jewish people.

Magritte passed away from cancer on 15 August 1967 and is buried in the Belgian capital.

Display with Auction Timeline

The painting, previously shown at the Magritte museum in Belgium, has been rarely seen outside Belgium over 90 years.

The piece will be shown in Paris from October 17-23 prior to the auction on October 24.