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A extraordinary painting by this legendary surrealist painter René Magritte that has stayed in a single personal possession for more than nine decades is scheduled to go auctioned later this month.

This Fascinating Story Of the Artwork

The painting was originally acquired by the relatives belonging to Suzanne Spaak, an Second World War resistance fighter who served as Magritte's patron at a time where Magritte had financial troubles financially and failed to sell any work for two years.

She was executed at the hands of Nazi forces in Paris for her actions in helping young Jewish individuals reach safety.

Sale Estimates with Anticipations

The auction house has projected which La Magie Noire could sell for in the range of five million euros to €7m, but experts anticipate that it will achieve a much higher price.

This is the initial instance I’ve managed an important piece by Magritte which has remained in the same family from it was painted,” remarked a high-ranking auction house official. “It is extraordinary, as is the story of the family.”

He further referred to the painting by saying “the Taylor Swift in surrealist art,” adding how “If you were to request some schoolchildren to prepare a report on the surrealist movement, this artwork by itself could be enough to define the movement.”

The Artist's Formative Struggles with Career Growth

This Belgian painter first was employed as an artist at a wallpaper plant also produced commercial ads until the mid-1920s, at which point Magritte created his debut surrealist work.

A year later, he had his debut exhibition in Brussels, however reviewers were savage and disheartened the artist moved to Paris, where he was unable to establish a name for himself.

Magritte returned to his homeland in 1930 and established an advertising agency alongside his brother Paul Magritte.

“Life for Magritte was quite hard at this time. The Great Depression which began in the late 1920s in the US hit the French economy by the early 1930s. Over a two-year span, between 1930 to 1932, he sold nothing and held no shows,” an expert stated.

No one was buying artworks from surrealist artists. They were considered revolutionary troublemakers.”

This Influence of the Benefactors

Spaak’s husband, Claude, a well-known Belgian-born writer, was acquainted with Magritte and a patron, ordering paintings of Suzanne and children while also organizing a monthly stipend for the artist and his household.

In 1934, Suzanne Spaak’s sister Alice, called Bunny, bought the painting to celebrate the arrival of her newborn with Emile Happe, a Belgian industrialist.

“The Spaak family was to Belgium like the Mountbattens were to the UK; like royalty and they pulled Magritte out of difficulty,” an expert said. “It was bought to commemorate the arrival of a baby but it also marked a revival for the painter who was struggling to get himself back on his feet.”

Artistic Details and Symbolism

The subject for the series was Magritte’s wife, Georgette, she is depicted in a classical manner like a sculpted figure resting her hand on a block of stone.

Her torso gradually blends into the sky behind her while her lower half maintains its realistic coloring.

Magritte later created ten comparable portraits, many of them received distinct titles. Here, the first in the series, Berger appears with a bird perched on her shoulder.

A portion of the backdrop displays a partially paneled wall inside.

Suzanne Spaak’s Courageous Resistance Work

The couple were living in Paris at the outbreak of war in the late 1930s.

After the Nazi occupation of the French capital, she became part of the underground and was a participant of the “Red Orchestra” spy ring.

Spaak employed her considerable fortune to save over 160 Jewish youngsters from deportation, hiding a number of them in her residence before they were relocated to safety.

Final End with Historical Impact

By late 1943, the Nazis captured Spaak along with hundreds of the network.

On August 12, 1944, days before the freeing of Paris, the Gestapo executed her in captivity. She had been 38 and has since been honoured by the state of Israel as one of the Righteous for her efforts to save Jewish people.

The artist passed away from cancer on 15 August 1967 and rests in Brussels.

Exhibition and Auction Timeline

The painting, which has been displayed at the Magritte museum in Brussels, has seldom been exhibited abroad in more than nine decades.

The piece will be exhibited at the French capital between October 17-23 prior to the auction on October 24.